Croatia has high hopes for Olympics

06/05/2008

More than 100 Croatian athletes will compete at the Summer Olympics, with medal prospects in swimming, the high jump, handball and water polo.

By Natasa Radic for Southeast European Times in Zagreb -- 06/05/08

Croatian athletes have won 12 medals at previous Summer Games. [File]

Croatian athletes expect much from their participation in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which will begin August 8th in Beijing. More than 10,000 athletes from 200 countries will compete, and the Croatian delegation will be numerous, with over 100 athletes in 15 different events. The preparations are well under way and Croatian teams are in their final training stages prior to the trip to China.

Croatia, as an independent state, competed for the first time at Barcelona Olympics in 1992; since then Croatian athletes have won a total of 12 medals at the Summer Games. They hope that in Beijing they will achieve their greatest success yet.

Croatian President Stipe Mesic has said he may be present at the opening ceremony. Expectations are running high as the pre-Olympic contests have shown that the athletes are in good physical shape, focused on achieving the highest results.

Croatian National Olympic Team President Zlatko Matesa is confident that the athletes will give their best. He expects them "to achieve the best personal results in the Summer Olympics in China".

There are good reasons for his enthusiasm. Croatians won the water polo gold medal in the 2007 World Championship, and the national team is aiming for the same success in China. The Croatian swimming team, meanwhile, recently returned from the World Championship in Manchester, UK, with four medals. They, too, hope for high honours in Beijing.

Croatian high jump champion Blanka Vlasic, the world's top ranked competitor in the field, also hopes to bring home a gold medal. The Croatian handball team, which won gold in the 2004 Games, seeks to do the same in Beijing. In addition, expectations are running high among the tennis players, the weight lifters and the Skelin brothers (Niksa and Sinisa), who won silver medals in Athens.