The newly elected Council of the Croatian Olympic Committee will hold its first meeting on Friday, August 7, followed by an official farewell to the long-serving Secretary General.
At the premises of the Croatian Olympic Committee in Zagreb, on Friday, August 7, 2026, starting at 9:00 AM, the first meeting of the newly elected Council of the Croatian Olympic Committee (COC) will be held. This is an expected procedure following the extraordinary electoral Assembly of the COC held on July 29, 2026, at which the national sports umbrella organization received new leadership.
At that time, Dr. Josip Varvodić was elected as the new President, who immediately after his election proposed the composition of the Council for the mandate period from 2026 to 2028. The Assembly approved this proposal. This constitutive session will also mark the end of Siniša Krajač's era as Secretary General, a position he assumed on May 10, 2001, with his second four-year term beginning in May 2025.
Alongside President Varvodić, the new leadership includes Vice Presidents: Frane Žanić (volleyball), Milivoj Bebić (Croatian Olympic Club), Željko Kisić (rowing), and Suzana Šop (Sports Association of the City of Zagreb). The Council members are Nikola Rukavina (basketball), Mladen Drnasin (water polo), Vedran Šupuković (handball), Željko Banić (sambo), Stipe Pletikosa (football), Barbara Đinović (COC Athletes' Commission), Mladen Mikolčević (boxing), Ante Filipović (karate), Robert Markt (motorsport and karting), Snježana Jurinić (Sports Community of Zadar County), Dragutin Kamenski (rugby), Antonio Zujić (ice hockey), Damir Hrupec (field hockey), Lucian Vukelić (biathlon), Damir Knjaz (golf), Marko Badrić (Association of Sports Clubs and Federations of Sisak-Moslavina County), and Marko Kallay (Sports Association of the City of Zagreb, fencing). Kolinda Grabar Kitarović is also a member of the Council, automatically as a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Although no one from the new members or the top of the COC wanted to speak publicly before the session, it is no secret that the Croatian Olympic Committee will bid farewell to Siniša Krajač as Secretary General after this meeting. Whether he will tender his mandate, submit an irrevocable resignation, or terminate his contract by Friday morning is a question that depends both on his decision and on the employment contract he has with the COC.
It is also expected that the procedure for announcing a public call for a new Secretary General will be initiated. Moreover, it would not be surprising if, already at this first Council session, directors in the offices of the COC Professional Service are relieved of their duties, with new acting officials appointed. The COC Office for the Olympic Program is already without a head after Damir Šegota submitted his irrevocable resignation as director.
During his pre-election campaign, Dr. Josip Varvodić emphasized that he "does not see cooperation with Krajač and his people." However, as Sportske novosti reports, this is not a "purge" but a standard democratic procedure in which a new leader brings in their own team. The changes in the Croatian Olympic Committee, it is assessed, were necessary and represent only the first step towards a genuine, structural renewal of the organization.
