Josip Varvodić was elected as the new president of the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO), bringing an end to 25 years of Zlatko Mateš's leadership. At an extraordinary assembly held at the Sheraton hotel in Zagreb, Varvodić secured 81 votes, securing victory over his rival Dragan Primorace, who received 68 votes. A minimum of 76 votes was required for the election of the new president.
The election was conducted by secret ballot among 46 representatives of Olympic sports, who were entitled to two votes each, and all 33 representatives of non-Olympic sports associations. Representatives of 21 regional sports associations were also present at the session, along with three representatives each from the Olympians' Club and the Athletes' Commission. The total number of votes cast was 151 out of 155, with one representative from a regional association being denied the right to vote in accordance with the regulations.
The process was closely monitored by the Election Commission, which confirmed the validity of the candidacies of Josip Varvodić and Dragan Primorac. The candidacy of Miro Buljan was rejected as incomplete and invalid due to the lack of several required items. Just before the vote, the Croatian Canoeing Federation and the Croatian Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation expressed support for both candidates, but these votes were declared invalid as the regulations allowed support for only one candidate.
The new president of the HOO, 41-year-old Josip Varvodić, is a long-standing sports official and currently the president of the Croatian Swimming Federation. He becomes the fourth president in the history of the HOO, an organisation that has existed for 35 years. Also absent from the session was Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, the Croatian member of the International Olympic Committee.
