At a press conference ahead of the start of the summer season and the Diamond League in Stockholm, Croatia’s best female athlete Sandra Perković revealed that her coach Edis Elkasević received an excellent financial offer to work abroad, which he is ready to accept. This would leave Perković without a coach for the next Olympic year, as she believes no one can replace Elkasević, reports HRT on May 24, 2019. 

“Edis Elkasević has received a great offer from abroad, so there is the possibility that in 2020 he will not be my coach. In these few months, we have to see how and what we can accomplish, what will be the continuation of our career - because of the financial resources he receives in Croatia, the man has decided, and I do not blame him, to look for his destiny elsewhere. In agreement with the sponsors and my other team, we are trying to keep Edis in Croatia,” Sandra Perković said during a press conference held in Zagreb on Friday to kick off her premiere performance in the Diamond League this season,  which will be held on Thursday, May 30 in Stockholm.

When asked if anyone could replace Elkasević, Perković answered briefly and clearly:

“Nobody.”

Perković had announced that she could follow Elkasević.

"My whole world is facing the Olympics in Tokyo and there is a great possibility that I could leave after it, which would not be good for him, for me, nor the whole of Croatia.”

Perković did not wish to reveal which country the offer for her coach came from. Elkasević and Perković have been working together since 2012.

“If we do not realize what we are planning in the next few months, you will be informed about it.”

According to the rules of the International Athletics Federation (IAAF), coaches do not have national restrictions on engagement in other states, while competitors wishing to change their nationality must wait four years to be able to perform under the flag of another country. 

Sandra Perković has pointed to the financial problems in her sport for years, in which she and her team have worked hard to change. However, the improvements are insufficient and slow.

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