February 19, 2021 - Croatia water polo defeats Georgia in the quarterfinal match of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Rotterdam on Friday evening. They will meet Montenegro in the semifinal match tomorrow!

Behind Croatia are five rounds made up of four victories and one defeat at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Rotterdam thus far. Recall, Croatia won their first match against Romania at 16:6, defeated the Netherlands 25:8, topped France 10:13, lost to Russia 13:14, and beat Germany 22:8 in the final group stage match. 

Croatia thus finished the group stage with eight points, four wins, and a defeat against Russia, which finished first with nine points. 

To qualify for the Olympics, Croatia needed to achieve two more victories in Rotterdam, the first against Georgia in the quarterfinals, and then on Saturday in the semifinals or on Sunday in a possible duel for third place.

Georgia v Croatia Recap

Maro Jokovic scored Croatia's first goal and the first of the game for 0:1 with 5:26 to go in the first quarter. Garcia made it 2:2 for Croatia nearly four minutes later - and Luka Loncar scored to end the first quarter 2:3 for Croatia. 

Luka Bukic scored 20 seconds into the second quarter for 2:4, and two goals by Ante Vukicevic increased Croatia's lead to 6:2 with 5:24 to go in the quarter. Loren Fatovic made it 2:7 with 4:45 left, and Maro Jokovic scored a rocket from outside for 3:8. Loncar scored for 3:9 with a minute to go, which was the score going into the half. 

Josip Vrlic scored Croatia's first goal of the third quarter nearly six minutes in! Croatia was up +6. Luka Bukic made it 4:11, which is how the third quarter ended. 

Luka Bukic opened the final quarter with a goal for 4:12. Fatovic scored a penalty for 4:13 and again for 5:14. Bukic scored for 6:15, which was the final score of the match. 

The four winning teams will play in the semifinals on February 20. The finalists of the qualifying tournament, as well as the national team that wins the match for third place on February 21, will qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which are scheduled from July 24 to August 8, 2021. 

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

February 10, 2021 - In game five of the Olympic Qualifiers in Rotterdam, Croatia water polo tops Germany (22:8).

On Thursday evening, Croatia and Germany met for the final group stage match, after which we will learn the pairs of the quarterfinals.

Behind Croatia are four rounds made up of three victories and one defeat at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Rotterdam thus far. Recall, Croatia won their first match against Romania at 16:6, defeated the Netherlands 25:8, topped France 10:13, and lost to Russia yesterday 13:14.

Croatia v. Germany Recap

Luka Bukic scored the first goal of the match for Croatia (1:0), while Luka Loncar made it 2:1 with 6:14 to go in the first. Maro Jokovic scored for 3:2 a minute and a half later. 

Luka Loncar scored for 4:2 and Josip Vrlic scored for 5:3 which was how the first quarter ended. 

Jokovic and Buslje opened the second quarter with goals for Croatia (7:3), and Vukicevic made it 8:4 with four minutes to go. Loren Fatovic scored for 9:5 with just under two minutes to go. Buslje scored twice to end the second quarter at 11:5. 

Vukicevic opened the third quarter with two goals for 13:5 with 6 minutes to go. Lovre Milos scored for 14:5, and Rino Buric for 15:5. Buslje scored to end the third quarter at 16:6.

Thanks to Vukicevic, Buric, and Bukic, it was 18:6 with just under six minutes to go in the final quarter. Loncar scored for 20:7 shortly after, while Bukic scored two goals for 22:8, which is how the match ended. 

Following the group stage, the quarterfinal stage will commence on Friday, February 19, in which the four best teams from each group will meet.  The pairs will be determined by their positions in the standings (A1 - B4, A2 - B3, A3 - B2, and A4 - B1). 

The four winning teams will play in the semifinals on February 20. The finalists of the qualifying tournament, as well as the national team that wins the match for third place on February 21, will qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which are scheduled from July 24 to August 8, 2021. 

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

February 17, 2021 - In game four of the Olympic Qualifiers in Rotterdam, Croatia water polo falls to Russia for their first defeat in the tournament.

On Wednesday afternoon, Croatia and Russia met for the penultimate group stage match, which also carried a bit more importance - it was the match for first place in the group.

Behind Croatia are three rounds and three victories at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Rotterdam. Recall, Croatia won their first match against Romania at 16:6, defeated the Netherlands 25:8, and topped France 10:13. 

Russia, on the other hand, was weak in the first two games, though they claimed victory over France and drew their second against Romania. However, in their third match on Tuesday, they topped Germany by 12 goals. 

Croatia v Russia Recap

While Russia was the first to score, Rino Buric equalized 40 seconds later, and a goal by Josip Vrlic made it 2:2 with 6:21 to go in the first quarter. Luke Loncar gave Croatia the lead with 5:33 left (3:2). 

Fatovic scored for 4:3 with 3:05 to go in the first quarter, though missed a penalty a minute later. Fortunately, he scored for 5:3 with just over a minute to go, which is how the first quarter ended. 

Croatia opened the second quarter with goals by Ante Vukicevic and Maro Jokovic for +3 (7:4). Lovre Milos made it 8:5 with 3:58 to go, and Vukicevic scored for 9:5 moments later. 

Russia opened the third quarter with a goal for 9:8, though Croatia's Bukic scored for 10:8 with 5:28 to go. Fatovic scored for 11:8 one minute later and scored his fourth goal of the game for 12:9 with just under 3 minutes to go. 

Andro Buslje made it +4 (13:9), which was the last goal scored for Croatia in the third quarter which ended at 13:11. 

Russia equalized in the final quarter for 13:13 with five minutes to go in the match - and with 2:25 left, Russia took the lead (13:14), which was the final score of the game. 

Croatia will meet Germany (Thursday, February 18, at 8:30 pm) in the final group stage match. 

Following the group stage, the quarterfinal stage will commence on Friday, February 19, in which the four best teams from each group will meet.  The pairs will be determined by their positions in the standings (A1 - B4, A2 - B3, A3 - B2, and A4 - B1). 

The four winning teams will play in the semifinals on February 20. The finalists of the qualifying tournament, as well as the national team that wins the match for third place on February 21, will qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which are scheduled from July 24 to August 8, 2021. 

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

February 16, 2021 - In game three of the Olympic Qualifiers in Rotterdam, Croatia water polo defeats France for their third win of the tournament. 

Behind Croatia are two rounds and two victories at the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Rotterdam. Recall, Croatia won their first match against Romania at 16:6, and on Monday against the Netherlands 25:8. 

Before their meeting with France on Tuesday, Croatia counted by far the most goals (41), with the best goal difference (+27), and is among the teams with the fewest goals conceded.

However, Croatia still has a long road ahead and played only their third match of eight in Rotterdam on Tuesday, this time against France. France lost to Russia in their first match and topped Germany in their second. 

France took the lead first on Tuesday, scoring the opening goal of the game with 5:47 to go in the first quarter. France scored for 2:0 a minute later. 

Maro Jokovic missed a 5-meter penalty moments later, keeping France in the lead. Luka Bukic scored Croatia's first goal of the game after only 4 minutes - 2:1. 

Josip Vrlic scored the equalizer with 1:39 to go in the first quarter (2:2). Loren Fatovic scored for the Croatia lead to end the first quarter at 2:3.

Loren Fatovic opened the second quarter with a goal for Croatia (3:4). Andro Buslje scored for 5:5 with 49 seconds left to end the second quarter.

Buslje opened the third quarter for 5:6 Croatia, though France came back to equalize with five minutes to go (6:6). Milos put Croatia back in the lead at 6:7. Jokovic scored for +2 with 3:42 to go in the third. 

Bukic scored from 5-meters for Croatia's biggest lead yet - 6:9, and Garcia scored for +4 (6:10) to end the third quarter. 

Maro Jokovic opened the final quarter with a goal for 7:11. Fatovic scored a 5-meter penalty to bring Croatia back to +3 (9:12). 

Bukic scored another penalty for Croatia with 3:26 to go in the match (10:13), which was the final score of the match. 

Croatia will meet Russia (Wednesday, February 17, at 2:30 pm) and Germany (Thursday, February 18, at 8:30 pm) in the final two group stage games. 

Following the group stage, the quarterfinal stage will commence on Friday, February 19, in which the four best teams from each group will meet.  The pairs will be determined by their positions in the standings (A1 - B4, A2 - B3, A3 - B2, and A4 - B1). 

The four winning teams will play in the semifinals on February 20. The finalists of the qualifying tournament, as well as the national team that wins the match for third place on February 21, will qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which are scheduled from July 24 to August 8, 2021. 

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

February 15, 2021 - In game two of the Olympic Qualifiers in Rotterdam, Croatia water polo defeats the Netherlands (25:8). 

The Croatia water polo team jumped into Rotterdam's Zwemcentrum pool for the second time on Monday, just 24 hours after an impressive performance against Romania to open the competition. Recall, Croatia's 16:6 victory against Romania kicked off a strenuous eight days of water polo in the Netherlands for the Olympic qualifying tournament. The three top teams will secure a spot in Tokyo this summer.

On Monday, Croatia met the Netherlands, a team that surprised the national team of Germany the day before (11:10). 

Croatia kicked off the match with a goal by Josip Vrlic for 1:0 in the first minute, and Maro Jokovic increased Croatia's lead to 2:0 with 5:28 to go. Javier Garcia scored for 3:1, followed by two more goals for Jokovic for 5:1 with a minute to go. Two goals by Luka Bukic in the final minute saw Croatia leading 7:1 into the second quarter. 

Loren Fatovic and Lovre Milos opened the second quarter with goals for 9:1. Andro Buslje scored for 10:2 with 5:45 to go. Bukic and Fatovic scored for 12:3, and Milos scored for 13:4 with two minutes to go. 

Bukic increased Croatia's lead to 16:5 with 6:42 to go in the third quarter, and Vrlic scored for 17:5 one minute later. Milos scored for 18:5 and Bukic for 19:6 to end the third quarter.

Jokovic opened the final quarter with a goal for 20:6. Fatovic made it 21:7 with 4 minutes to go. Rino Buric scored for 22:7 with two minutes left. Luka Loncar scored for 23:8 with a minute and a half to go in the match. Buric scored his second goal of the game for 24:8 with less than a minute left, and Ante Vukicevic scored the final goal of the match for 25:8. 

Croatia will meet France (Tuesday, February 16, at 8:30 pm), Russia (Wednesday, February 17, at 2:30 pm), and Germany (Thursday, February 18, at 8:30 pm) next.

Following the group stage, the quarterfinal stage will commence on Friday, February 19, in which the four best teams from each group will meet.  The pairs will be determined by their positions in the standings (A1 - B4, A2 - B3, A3 - B2, and A4 - B1). 

The four winning teams will play in the semifinals on February 20. The finalists of the qualifying tournament, as well as the national team that wins the match for third place on February 21, will qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which are scheduled from July 24 to August 8, 2021. 

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

February 10, 2021 - The Croatia water polo team coach has announced the final list of players with whom he is going to the Olympic qualifying tournament in Rotterdam.

The Olympic qualifiers will be held in Rotterdam from February 14 to 21, and coach Ivica Tucak has decided on 14 players for their trip to the Netherlands.

"This is the most difficult decision for every coach, including me, considering that all the guys from the initial 22 who were invited to the preparations gave their best. Eighteen of them were invited to Zagreb, four of which had to drop out. They are goalkeeper Marcelić, center Dobud, and outside players Benić and Žuvela. I want to sincerely thank all four of them for the maximum effort they put in, their desire and will. With their presence at every training session and match, they made our preparations even better, and I thank them for that. As a coach, this is a tough decision, but it was made based on the players' current state. This does not mean that the same 14 players will travel to Tokyo if we qualify, but I think that these 14 are the best that Croatian water polo has at the moment," said coach Tucak.

The player list includes Marko Bijač, Marko Macan, Loren Fatović, Luka Lončar, Maro Joković, Luka Bukić, Ante Vukičević, Andro Bušlje, Lovre Miloš, Josip Vrlić, Rino Burić, Javier Garcia Gadea, Toni Popadić and reserve Franko Lazić.

The International Federation of Water Sports (FINA) has decided that each team can travel to the tournament with a maximum of 22 people.

"Considering the rhythm that awaits us there, eight games in eight days, extreme effort in physical and psychological terms, I decided to take two physiotherapists and doctors to the tournament. This medical care, along with Professor Kuterovac, who will help regeneration and rest, is critical. For that reason, we leave with 14, not 15 players. Franko Lazić is traveling as a reserve player, who can only join the team if one of the players confirms himself as COVID-positive," Tucak explained.

In Rotterdam, 12 national teams will be divided into two groups. Croatia is in Group B with Germany, Russia, Romania, the Netherlands, and France, and Group A consists of Greece, Montenegro, Brazil, Canada, Georgia, and Turkey. After five games in the group, the four best teams from each group will play in the quarterfinals.

"Every game is difficult, every game brings its own challenge, and every next one is even harder and even more important than the previous one. What we need to focus on is our performance. I think we have quality, and we are better than any national team in the group, but we have to show that in the pool," concluded Tucak.

"The quarterfinal match will be difficult in the psychological sense, and then the semifinals. We have no right to make a mistake. We are opening the tournament with Romania, we know their best player Cosmin Radu well, he is mine and Bušlje's club teammate. I think he will take care of them and will certainly cover them well. We will try to tire him out as much as possible and, of course, hope to win. We expect to qualify for the Olympics. I think that we are the best team and that we will succeed," said Croatia national team player Luka Bukić.

His teammate Andro Bušlje sees the greatest strength of Croatia in the team.

"We believe in each other and encourage each other when we are doing well, as well as in those difficult times when we are not doing well. We did a lot of physical preparation because an extremely demanding tournament awaits us. As the tournament progresses, we will be more and more tired, but I don't think there will be any problems, and we will show ourselves in the best light in Rotterdam. We are doing all this and preparing to get that long-desired visa for Tokyo," said Bušlje.

Croatia travels to Rotterdam on Friday, February 12, and the first match of the tournament will be played on Sunday, February 14 at 7 pm against Romania.

Source: HVS

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

February 6, 2021 - The Croatia and USA water polo teams are currently in Zagreb as the 'Barracudas' prepare for the Olympic qualifying tournament in Rotterdam from February 14 to 21, 2021. 

HVS reports that the USA joined Croatia in Zagreb for their Olympic qualifying preparations before the team heads to Rotterdam next week. The USA national team led by Serbian expert Dejan Udovicic will play five training matches with Croatia, while two of them will be official matches. In other words, matches with referees, a scoreboard, and timekeeping.

"We couldn't have wished for a better sparring partner at this moment and for what awaits us. They are a phenomenally physically fit team, exceptional swimmers. They have a rough style of play that is on the verge of exclusion or personal fouls, and that is how I expect Russia and Germany to play against us in Rotterdam in the group. Both France and the Netherlands will probably try because they are technically inferior to us, but they can match our strength, wrestling, and swimming. Thus, the USA will be of great help to us before the tournament in Rotterdam," said Croatia coach Ivica Tucak before the first match on Saturday evening at 7 pm.

For the past few months, the USA first worked together with Greece in Athens, then won the tournament in Podgorica, defeating Montenegro and the B team of Serbia, and before arriving in Zagreb, trained with Serbia in Belgrade. After Zagreb, they plan to train with Italy in Recco. What is special about the current USA national team is that atypical for pre-Olympic years, many of their national team players are playing in Europe. Most of them, as many as 13 of them, are in Greece, and one member of Team USA is also in Croatia - Alex Obert at Jug Adriatic Osiguranje. The reason is quite clear, in the USA, there are mostly universities, while sports complexes and swimming pools are closed. Since there are no competitions, it is only logical that their national team members enjoy what Europe offers. 

Two of the Croatia-USA matches are friendly, though they should have a competitive zeal. Apart from the American way of approaching sports, it should be noted that Croatia will play with full force, especially after Tucak announced that these two games should dispel any minor doubts he has about the player list for Rotterdam.

"These few days with the Americans will surely come in handy. The staff will get an even clearer picture of the team to make the best use of it in Rotterdam," adds the captain of the national team Andro Bušlje.

Center Luka Lončar added:

"What we are doing here now is the final glaze, implementing the coach's tactical ideas, as if we were at the highest level in Rotterdam. The atmosphere is great, as if we have been working together, playing together, and have been friends for several years."

Croatia and the USA will also meet on Sunday, February 7 at 7 pm. Since spectators are not allowed at the Sava swimming pool, you can watch both matches live on Planet Sport 1 or stream them at the Croatian Water Polo Federation Facebook page (hvs.hr).

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

May 12, 2020 - If the epidemiological situation in the country allows it, the first water polo matches in Croatia after the forced break caused by the coronavirus should be played on June 24. The latest news from the Croatian Water Polo Federation. 

Namely, the Croatian Water Polo Federation Board of Directors (HVS) adopted the proposed new competition calendar for the completion of the 2019/20 season. Of course, the chosen terms are also subject to changes due to TV broadcasts in the programs of HTV, Arena Sport, and Planet Sport.

In addition to the playoffs of the Croatian Championship, the Board of Directors has proposed a new date for the finals of the Regional League, which would be played on July 11 and 12, of course, in Dubrovnik. It is also here that changes are possible due to the coincidence with the date of the football match between Dinamo and Hajduk.

Men's:

Croatian Championship

Quarterfinals, and matches for 9th place: June 24 and 27

Semifinals: July 1, 4 and 6 (played on two victories)

Playoffs from 5th to 8th place:  July 4 and 8

Matches for 5th and 7th place: July 15 and 22

Matches for 3rd place: July 18, 22 and 25

Finals: July 18, 22, 25, 29 and August 1 (finals are played up to three wins, so a maximum of 5 matches is possible)

The quarterfinal pairs of the Croatian Championship, based on the placement in the Regional League are:

Jug AO - Galeb MR

Mladost - POŠK,

Jadran - Primorje EB

Mornar BS - Solaris

REGIONAL LEAGUE - final tournament in Dubrovnik

Semifinals: July 11 (South AO - Jadran Split and Mladost - Jadran HN)

Finals: July 12

Women's:

Croatian Championship

June 27 - Round 7

July 1 - Round 8

July 4 - Round 9

July 11 - Round 10
 

The playoffs would follow:

- Semifinals: July 15, 18 and 22

- Finals and matches for third place: July 25, August 1 and 5

Of course, as in all previous cases and every sport, the final confirmation of match dates and the start of the competition will be given by the National Civil Protection Headquarters.

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

The 2017 best water polo player in the world and captain of the Croatia national team Sandro Sukno has announced that he is ending his professional career, announced HVS on May 19, 2019. 

You can read his address transmitted in its entirety below.

"Dear friends of sports,

My fellow teammates, coaches, water polo officials, and above all the fans, I feel obliged to inform the public that I had to make a challenging decision.

I decided to end my active playing career due to medical reasons. 

After my heart operation in the US at the beginning of last year, which successfully eliminated all of my troubles at that time, and the recovery that lasted for a year, in contact with several of the most prominent professionals from Croatia and abroad, and after thorough reviews and results of the check-ups, it turned out that my overall health condition is not optimal for continuing top sporting activities and that there is no 100% health security guarantee.

I decided to have surgery in Cleveland because of water polo, which has always been an integral part of my life. The same has been true during the recovery period, and I did indeed do everything I could to get more from the best and the most prominent doctors, the complete opinion and the purest picture of my health. Unfortunately, I will not be able to return to the pool with my team, but just like water polo is an integral part of me, I hope never to leave this wonderful and successful sport to which I am personally indebted.

I would especially like to thank all those who were part of my career as a player. My family, teammates, coaches, and officials. I thank the fans and the public for the love I received during my career, but also for the last couple of years. And a big thank you to the doctors who used all their strength to help me with the desired return to the pool.

I want to thank all the clubs I was a member of during my career, especially VK Jug CO, where I trained last season hoping to return.

Thanks to the Croatian Water Polo Federation for the attention, understanding, and full support I enjoyed throughout this time.

I will forever stay the biggest fan of our Croatian water polo team and Croatian sport.”

To an incredible career in water polo, we wish Sandro the best of luck! 

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