Dragan Primorac launches bid to lead Croatian Olympic Committee

Former HDZ minister and presidential candidate Dragan Primorac has announced his candidacy to become the next president of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO).

If elected, he would succeed Zlatko Mateša, who recently resigned following a series of corruption scandals linked to the funding of several sports federations.

Primorac, a medical doctor and researcher who currently heads the Croatian Taekwondo Federation, officially launched his campaign on Monday, saying he wants to unite Croatian sport and introduce transparent criteria and equal conditions for all sports and athletes.

“Transparent criteria for the allocation of resources will be an absolute priority,” Primorac said.

“I will not be swayed and I will not be bought. No one can threaten or intimidate me into straying from the path of truth, morality and the welfare of Croatian sport.”

Primorac said sport has been part of his life for decades, citing his long-standing involvement in taekwondo, sports organizations and sports medicine.

He added that the process of collecting signatures required to secure his candidacy is already underway and that more than 30 sports federations have backed him in just a few days, despite only 10 endorsements being required to formally enter the race.

He said he would advocate for unity across Croatian sport and rejected divisions between different disciplines.

“There are no small or large sports, Olympic or non-Olympic,” Primorac said.

“Every medal has the same value, regardless of which sport it comes from.”

Primorac also described Croatia as a sporting superpower with enormous potential, provided all stakeholders — from athletes and coaches to federations and experts — work together.

Also running for the position is Josip Varvodić, president of the Croatian Swimming Federation.