March 15, 2020 - There are already several Croatian athletes and sports professionals who, due to various contacts, have been forced to spend two weeks at home because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Croatian sailors Sime and Mihovil Fantela arrived back in Zadar from Palma de Mallorca where the Princess Sofia Trophy was to be held. The World Champion sailors are safe, but self-isolating. 

Sime told HRT more:

“I must be with my wife and kid for two weeks at home. We will be careful; we will be careful not to go outside and simply wait for the news ahead. It is a little difficult, we are preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, which is our most important goal, and now we are practically without training for 15 days. It's not easy, but we will try to be patient and simply respond to the current situation.” You can see the video on HRT here.

The coronavirus also calmed down tennis for six weeks. Marin Cilic, like most of his colleagues, will enjoy an atypical March at home with family, reports Gol.hr.

"We are aware of the situation and it is certainly better to beware than to take the possible risks so here - now I have more time at home. It was the perfect time for me to be with my family, enjoy and have a little more time to rest, and hang out."

A month and a half ago, Cilic welcomed his first child, Baldo.

“I will definitely be more awake overnight, which will make Kristina’s life much easier.“

However, family rewards are the reason why the world's 37th best tennis player in the world takes the prevention of coronavirus as seriously as possible.

"Of course I'm afraid most of all because of Baldo, because he's still very small. I am even avoiding going to the gym, where there are bigger gatherings, and maybe I'll even do more outdoor workouts."

A few days ago, Cilic met with the Sinkovic brothers on Jarun Lake for an outdoor training session. He said he is in contact with other Croatian athletes, too.

"I heard from the NBA guys; they told me that this is unique and everything is under alarm. They do not know what is going to happen, or if they will return home or stay there, so we are still on the edge of our seats, waiting for what will develop, but most importantly, we are all healthy and this is under control. "

But Cilic does not doubt that the world of sports will certainly feel the consequences.

"Who knows what the Olympics will be like, but luckily for tennis, the positive is that our season is so long, it lasts until the end of November. The problem is that the points will be affected, with other tournaments being canceled - but these are less of a concern."

Several prominent HNS members, including President Davor Suker and coach Zlatko Dalic, are also in self-isolation, reports T.portal.

They all attended the UEFA Congress and the Nations League draw in  Amsterdam on March 2, which included the president of the Serbian Football Association Slavisa Kokeza, who was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The Croatian delegation was not in close contact with Kokeza, but out of precaution, they are in self-isolation, and so far, no one is showing any symptoms.

“They were in the same place he was 12 days ago. We checked, none of them had close contact with him, if any. However, because of the precautionary measures and because they are responsible people, they are behaving responsibly in this situation, so we agreed to reduce contacts for 14 days, that is, if you want to call it that, they will be in self-isolation,” Croatian Football Federation doctor Zoran Bahtijarevic told RTL.

“Of everyone who was there, no one has symptoms. The likelihood of being infected is extremely low, but it is not good enough for us. We act responsibly and, as a last resort, send everyone a message to act responsibly,” said Bahtijarević.

Although the initial information was that Kokeza contracted the coronavirus in Amsterdam at the UEFA Congress, he had contracted it in Milan.

“Slavisa Kokeza is holding up well, feeling good. Everything happened in Milan, there are a lot of viruses from that city,” said Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at a press conference.

After the anticipated Doha friendly tournament was canceled due to the global pandemic, where Croatia was to play against Switzerland and Portugal, the Federation’s leadership and coach Dalic agreed that there would be no national team meeting this month. HNS informed the clubs of all the invited national team about this decision.

The decision was made keeping in mind the current situation in Croatia and Europe, that is, the global pandemic of the new coronavirus, to protect the health of the national team.

"It is the position of the Federation and the professional staff, headed by coach Dalic, that it is safest for national team members to stay in the cities where they reside, in quarantines or under other measures in force in certain countries," HNS said.

“Something that has never happened in the history of sports has happened. We need to be concerned about the health of athletes, fans and all other actors in football, but also in sports in general. This is an emergency that no one could have foreseen, but we have to deal with it. We have approached this problem with maximum responsibility, and it is not easy. This is a disaster for sports and the economy, but all human lives must come first,” Suker said in an interview, noting that his stance on Tuesday's UEFA video conference would be that the EURO does not take place this year.

"In any case, we will know more after Tuesday, human lives are paramount," Suker concluded.

The European Football Federation (UEFA) announced a major video conference next Tuesday with the leaderships of all 55 Member States and representatives of ECA, FIFPro and European leagues to discuss further steps European football will take in the context of a pandemic the coronavirus, with regard to both domestic and European club competitions, as well as EURO 2020.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

February 25, 2020 - In exactly five months, the 32nd Olympic Games will begin in Tokyo. Croatian athletes will try to surpass the record-breaking Rio Games in 2016, when they won an incredible ten medals, five of which were gold, three silver, and two bronze. There are 110 Croatian athletes in the Tokyo Olympic Program. 

Gol.hr reports that the fantastic pictures from four years ago, featuring Sandra Perkovic, the Sinkovic brothers, Josip Glasnovic, Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic, as well as the sensational Sara Kolak, have not yet faded. But soon, new Olympic thrills await us. We believe there will be new medals, too.

For the first time since 2008, the Croatia table tennis team will compete in the Olympic Games.

"I would just like to avoid China, everyone else we can handle,” wished Andrej Gacina.

"We are preparing in our heads to try to surprise everyone," Neven Karkovic said.

The Croatia handball team has yet to qualify for Tokyo and will fight to win a spot at the strong qualifying tournament in France. In addition to the hosts, Croatia will play against Portugal and Tunisia. The two best teams will go to Japan.

The Croatia water polo team will also fight for a spot at the Games in the Netherlands. Their opponents will be Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, Argentina, and an Asian representative. The top four teams from each group will play in the quarterfinals. The winners will go to the semifinals, and the three top-ranked teams will qualify for Tokyo.

The Croatia basketball team needs to qualify, too and will play a qualifying tournament in Split against Brazil and Tunisia. If Croatia tops the group, they will play either Germany, Russia or Mexico. The top two teams go to the semifinals, with only the winner of the tournament going to Tokyo.

"I believe they will qualify, and we count on having between 90 and 105 Croatian athletes in Tokyo," said Zlatko Matesa, president of the Croatian Olympic Committee.

For the first time in her career, Kristina Tomic will compete in taekwondo, a sport that has already brought Croatia three Olympic medals.

"I will only say that my goal is no longer to go there as a tourist but to do something there," Kristina said confidently.

Form will play a significant role, and shot-putter Filip Mihaljević wants only one thing - to be healthy for Tokyo.

"I'm slowly joining the best in the world and hoping to make it to the finals."

Unfortunately, T.portal reported on Tuesday that the Olympic dream has ended for Robert Seligman, who will not be able to compete in the remaining two Olympic qualifying tournaments in Baku and Doha, as X-rays show he has broken his middle finger.

Seligman injured his hand on Saturday while practicing in the Melbourne World Cup final. Doctors in Australia immediately positioned and bandaged the dislocated finger, but the footage upon returning to Croatia confirmed the worst news. Robert Seligman has completed his Tokyo Olympic dream.

"We hoped it was just strained, but my finger is broken. Unfortunately, my dream of Tokyo is over. I have to rest for three weeks, which means I will miss the next two qualifying tournaments. But, I will train everything that does not interfere with my hand and stay in shape so that I can be fully prepared by May for the World Cup in Varna and, most importantly, the European Championship in Baku,” Seligman explained.

In Rio, Croatian athletes won a record ten medals. It is a feat that will be difficult to achieve, though our sports heroes have repeatedly shown that they are not afraid of the challenge.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

Just over a year remains until the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, and most Croatian athletes are just beginning their Olympic qualifiers. However, some of these concerns have already been resolved, as nine Croatian athletes have already secured their visa for Tokyo. The last among them is the current Olympic champion in trap shooting - Josip Glasnović, reports Gol.hr on April 10, 2019. 

In the embrace of his close family and friends and with a surprise tamburitza band, Josip Glasnović celebrated his gold medal at the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates back in Zagreb. 

"The qualifiers were excellent - 125 of 125, I broke or equaled the world record, where only 12 people in the world have done this, and I'm happy and honored that I won the gold," said the 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist in trap shooting. 

But this isn’t important just because Glasnović won yet another flashy medal, but because Croatia’s current Olympic champion has qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

"That's really what it is about, as the Olympic Games are the Olympic Games. I again have the chance to defend the gold medal, and even though it's hard to qualify in our sport, here I am and that’s it,” said Josip Glasnović.

Glasnović has thus become the ninth member of the Croatian Olympic team in Tokyo. So far, the 2020 Olympic Games will feature Croatian athletes in air rifle shooting - Snježana Pejčić, Petar Gorša, and Miran Maričić, followed by sailor Tonči Stipanović in the Laser class and the Fantela brothers in the 49er class, and Split's young swimming sensations Franko Grgić and Marin Mogić.

Additionally, Croatia’s U21 football team could qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time if they make it to the semi-final at the upcoming U21 Euro Championship.

"I think this is a great motive for all players, I believe they are aware of that, and it would certainly mean a lot to me as a coach as well," said the U21 Croatia national team coach Nenad Gračan.

And if our young football team receives a visa for Tokyo, Gračan can invite three players to the Olympic tournament without an age restriction. Rakitić and Perišić have reportedly already shown interest. 

"Well, they expressed their wishes. Maybe Luka Modrić, too!” said Gračan. 

In the last two Games, Croatia has crushed its record for the number of Olympic medals won. In London 2012, Croatian athletes won six medals, and four years later in Rio, they nearly doubled their harvest with as many as ten. Let’s hope the trend continues in Tokyo.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

It looks like Luka Modrić could soon lose his title as the highest-paid Croatian athlete.