20 years of the Croatian Olympic Committee
(1991 - 2011)
However, Croatia was already facing organised outlawry and terrorism, which was directly encouraged by the Yugoslav Army and the Serbian Government in order to overthrow the constitutional order and threaten the integrity of the Republic of Croatia. On 25 June 1991, the Croatian Parliament made a constitutional decision to declare the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Croatia. The decision was based on the results of the referendum carried out on 19 May 1991, at which as many as 94.17 percent of Croatia’s citizens voted in favour of independence. This led to open Serbian aggression, which already yielded its first Croatian casualties. Sharing the fate of their fellow citizens, numerous Croatian athletes were among the first to voluntarily join the Croatian Army, demonstrating that the defence of their homeland was their pRomeary duty.
Members of the Founding Committee for the Croatian Olympic Committee appointed by the Croatian Sports Association (from left to right): Boris Volčanšek, Slavko Podgorelec, Ivan Kern, Marijan Malović, Vladimir Findak
These were the circumstances in which the Croatian Sports Association, which was the legal successor of the Croatian Physical Culture Association, and which started to operate on 1 January 1991, led by its first President Ivan Kern and Secretary General Marijan Malović, had to provide organisational, expert and financial conditions for Croatian athletes to participate in Croatian and international competitions, and to uphold the reputation of Croatian sport and earn the right to join the international sports family under Croatian state insignia. On 5 June 1991, the Executive Board of the Croatian Sports Association appointed the Founding Committee for the Croatian Olympic Committee (COC). The Decision to appoint the working group, which was to organise the founding of the COC, read: “Pursuant to the provision of Article 38 of the Bylaws of the Croatian Sports Association (SI glasnik HŠS official gazette No. 1/90), at the meeting held on 5 June 1991, the Executive Committee makes the following DECISION to appoint members of the Working Group, which is to organise the founding of the Croatian Olympic Committee The appointed Working Group members are: - Ivan Kern - Chairman - Vladimir Findak - member - Boris Volčanšek - member - Slavko Podgorelec - member - Marijan Malović - member Zvonimir Šemper shall perform duties of the Working Group Secretary. The Working Group shall start the procedure and take all necessary actions pertaining to the foundation of the Founding Committee and the Croatian Olympic Committee. This Decision shall become effective upon its adoption. President of the Croatian Sports Association Ivan Kern, m.p.“
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