Croatian Athletes, Teams Return to Training Under Special Conditions

Daniela Rogulj

April 24, 2020 – Croatian athletes of the first two individual categories and the senior teams competing in the highest rank can start training again from Monday, April 27.

24 Sata writes that Croatian athletes and clubs have finally received the go-ahead from the Croatian Government that their sporting activities can begin again.

Croatian athletes of the first two individual categories and senior teams competing in the highest rank can start training again from April 27, concluded Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic after the session of the Croatian Government on Thursday.

Thus, on Monday, the top football teams in the country could start preparations for the season to continue. As the first calendar option failed, two more calendar options remain. One is to start the championship on May 30, while the other is to continue the championship on June 13.

Croatian champion Dinamo welcomed the news, though little is known about the club’s plan for training. It is only certain that there will be some activities on Monday (April 27) at Maksimir. The club is still awaiting a letter of all measures (or its publication on the official site), so the players and new staff will act in accordance with these provisions.

The situation will involve discussions with doctors and epidemiologists, as Dinamo does not know whether they will train in smaller or larger groups and maybe work individually. 

New coach Igor Jovicevic will start his adventure on the Dinamo bench in odd conditions, and the schedule and manner of training will depend on the instructions of the Government, doctors, and epidemiologists. In any case, everything will be much clearer by Monday.

On the other hand, Hajduk has been in good shape for a week already. The first-team players have been individually training at Poljud, each in their own term, with tasks assigned to them by the fitness trainers. As the situation with the virus stabilized, Hajduk was granted permission to train with multiple players in one group. So, as of Friday, Hajduk will train in a group of four players with coach Igor Tudor.

The four-member groups will alternate throughout the day at Poljud, but still with all the measures prescribed by the Civil Protection Headquarters. Players will always train in the same groups. The whole team could train together only once the coronavirus is fully under control.

Rijeka has been training at Rujevica for several days. The training is organized in several groups, followed from the stands by trainer Simon Rozman who returned from Slovenia several days ago and has to quarantine. The club, therefore, provided him and his assistant with accommodation in President Mišković’s office.

This news has undoubtedly pleased Croatian athletes, including the Sinkovic brothers and the best Croatian gymnast Tin Srbic. Martin and Valent had been rowing on the ergometer on their balconies for more than five weeks, awaiting permission to train. While the citizens of Zagreb were walking around Jarun in peace, the Civil Protection Headquarters did not allow the Sinkovic brothers to train. 

“We’ll switch to Jarun now. I can’t wait to get in the boat. We haven’t rowed for five weeks, so we’ll have to get a feel for the pairs,” said Martin Sinkovic, and Valent added:

“It feels like I haven’t rowed for a year. I’m waiting for Monday to get into a normal training rhythm. A few days ago, we received the news that we would have the European Championship, and now we will be able to prepare.”

Gymnast Tin Srbic has been improvising and maintaining form for weeks, but from Monday, he can finally go back to his favorite place – the gym! 

“I am glad that the decision was made and that we will be able to train normally. To me, the gym is everything, so I hope there will be new competitions at the end of the year to represent your country,” Srbic told RTL.

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

 

 

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