About us

The role

The national High Performance Sport Center (HPSC) represents added value to the role of the Croatian Olympic Committee in the development of top-level Croatian sport. The intention of establishing HPSC is to improve scientific, professional, high-tech and IT support in the preparation of our best athletes and teams for the most important international competitions. Since the successes of Croatian top athletes strengthen the reputation and position of the Republic of Croatia in the international community, investing in their preparation is a logical path to top-level sports achievements.

Structure

HPSC is a mobile and agile support system for sports experts that provides its services where top Croatian athletes live and train. HPSC consists of a central office in Zagreb and regional offices that will be established in Split, Rijeka and Osijek, but also in other regional sports centers in the Republic of Croatia if necessary.

Working bodies

Director

Executive Board

Board of department heads

Coach’s consulting board

Departments

Professional and scientific work within HPSC takes place in departments. Each department has its own manager who coordinates the work of experts and scientists in a certain field.

The departments (sectors) within HPSC are:

The Health Department (HPSC in cooperation with the Health Commission of the COC)

Head of department – Marko Jakopović
The HPSC Health Department, in cooperation with the COC Health Commission, takes care of ensuring the availability of athletes for training and competition. The most important activities of the health department are:
1. Mediation in the organization of medical diagnostic procedures
2. Mediation in the organization of medical interventions for the treatment and rehabilitation of sports injuries
3. Participation in the creation of preventive strategies and sports preparation programmes aimed at reducing the number and severity of sports injuries
4. Participation in the creation of preventive strategies and sports preparation programmes aimed at protecting the mental health of athletes
5. Creating a knowledge base on protecting and improving the health of athletes
6. Organizing the training of health workers and sports experts in the field of protection and improvement of the health of athletes
7. Creation and implementation of applied scientific research projects in the field of health in sports

Department for the physical preparation of athletes

Head of department – Pero Kuterovac
The Department for physical preparation takes care of improving the process of the physical preparation of athletes. The most important activities of the Department for fitness preparation of athletes are:
1. SParticipation in the creation and organization of physical fitness diagnostic procedures
2. Participation in the planning, programming and implementation of physical preparation of athletes
3. Participation in the creation of preventive strategies and sports preparation programmes aimed at reducing the number and severity of sports injuries
4. Creation of a knowledge base on physical preparation of athletes
5. Organizing the training of fitness trainers and sports experts in the field of physical preparation of athletes
6. Creation and implementation of applied scientific research projects in the field of physical preparation of athletes

Department for psychological preparation of athletes

Head of department – Igor Čerenšek
The Department for psychological preparation of athletes takes care of improving the psychological preparation of athletes. The most important activities of the Department for the Psychological Preparation of Athletes are:
1. Participation in the creation and organization of psychological diagnostic procedures
2. Participation in planning, programming and implementation of psychological preparation of athletes
3. Participation in the creation of preventive strategies and sports preparation programmes aimed at the protection of the mental health of athletes
4. Creating a knowledge base on the psychological preparation of athletes
5. Organizing the training of psychologists and sports experts in the field of psychological preparation of athletes
6. Organizing the training of psychologists and sports experts in the field of psychological preparation of athletes

Department for the recovery of athletes (HPSC in cooperation with the Health Commission of the COC)

Head of department – Luka Milanović
The Department for the recovery of athletes takes care of improving the recovery of athletes. The most important activities of the The Department for the recovery of athletes are:
1. Participation in the creation and organization of monitoring the load, fatigue and recovery of athletes
2. Participation in planning, programming and implementation of recovery protocols and procedures in sports preparation
3. Creation of a knowledge base on the recovery of athletes
4. Organizing the training of sports experts in the field of athlete recovery
5. Creation and implementation of applied scientific research projects in the field of athlete recovery

The Department for the lifestyle (and well-being) of athletes (HPSC in cooperation with the Career Center for Athletes of COC)

Head of department
The Department for the Lifestyle (and Welfare) of Athletes takes care of improving the lifestyle of athletes. The most important activities of the Department for the lifestyle (and well-being) of athletes are:
1. Participation in the creation of strategies to improve the lifestyle of athletes, especially in the area of:
  1. Nutrition
  2. Sleep
  3. Organization of time and obligations
  4. Social life
  5. Avoidance of addictions
2. Creating a knowledge base about the lifestyle of athletes
3. Organizing trainings for athletes and sports experts in the field of athlete’s lifestyle
4. Creation and implementation of applied scientific research projects in the field of athlete’s lifestyle

The Department for analysis of sport and sports performance

Head of department – Damir Sekulić
The department for sports analysis and sports performance takes care of the implementation of analytical procedures in the field of various sports specialties. The most important activities of the Department for the Department for analysis of sport and sports performance are:
1. Participation in the creation and organization of analytical procedures (biomechanics, biochemistry, sports physiology, notational analysis…)
2. Creating a knowledge base on analytical procedures in the field of sports and sports performance
3. Organizing the training of sports experts in the field of sports analysis and sports performance
4. Organizing the training of sports experts in the field of sports analysis and sports performance

The Department for talent identification and long-term sports preparation

Head of department – Luka Milanović
The department for talent identification and long-term sports preparation takes care of the improvement of the talent identification system and the system of long-term sports preparation. The most important activities of the Department for talent identification and long-term sports preparation are:
1. Participation in the creation and organization of selection diagnostic procedures
2. Participation in planning, programming and implementation of long-term sports preparation
3. Creating a knowledge base on talent identification and long-term sports preparation
4. Organizing the training of sports experts in the field of talent identification and the field of long-term sports preparation
5. Creation and implementation of applied scientific research projects in the field of talent identification and long-term sports preparation

The number of departments in HPSC may change over time in accordance with the needs of high performance sports preparation.

Central office CIRSP

Zagreb

Central office CIRSP

Zagreb

Director
Igor Jukić

cirsp@hoo.hr

Regional office CIRSP

Split

Regional office CIRSP

Split

cirsp@hoo.hr

Regional office CIRSP

Rijeka

Regional office CIRSP

Rijeka

cirsp@hoo.hr

Regional office CIRSP

Osijek

Regional office CIRSP

Osijek

cirsp@hoo.hr

Other regional offices

cirsp@hoo.hr

Work area

All departments base their work on the existing world knowledge and on innovative practical solutions in the field of sports preparation. In doing so, the following are used:

the latest achievements of sports sciences and practical experiences of experts (analytic, diagnostic, methodological and programming knowledge),
achievements of IT sciences (hardware and software solutions) and
innovative solutions of high technologies (new materials, devices and microtechnologies)

In each activity area (health, conditioning, psychology, recovery, lifestyle, analysis of sport and sports performance), members and associates of the HPSC help professional sports staffs that prepare the best Croatian athletes in searching for and implementing the most effective solutions in the basic segments of sports preparations:

testing and evaluation (medical, morphological, biomechanical, biochemical, physiological, motor, psycho-sociological, technical-tactical)
sports training (methodology, planning, programming and implementation of sports training)
control of workload, fatigue, training (internal and external monitoring)
recovery (primary, biomedical and psycho-sociological methods)
maximizing competitive performance (immediate preparation and performance at the competition)

Also, HPSC will provide support to professional sports staffs in particularly demanding complementary segments of sports preparation:

travel and circadian adaptation (jet-leg, climate and weather conditions)
ergonomics of basic living conditions and sports activities (special design of clothing, footwear, furniture, sports props and equipment)
training and competition in specific environments and meteorological conditions (hypoxia, high humidity, strong wind, heavy rain)
special public health circumstances (the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination due to travel to risky countries, sudden climate changes)
the athlete's lifestyle and dual career (family and professional relationships, finances, education, free time management)

Personnel

The following are involved in the work of HPSC through various departments:

Experts and scientists from the fields of:
- medicine,
- kinesiology,
- psychology,
- nutritionism,
- computer sciences and
- experts from other relevant areas of sports preparation
Sports coaches
Engineers
Analysts
Laboratory technicians
Administrative staff
Doctoral students and practicing students

Collaborating institutions

Collaborating institutions related to the research and development of high performance sports preparation by their scope of work also participate in the work of HPSC:

Scientific and educational institutions (universities, faculties, institutes, research and development centers)
Health institutions (clinical hospital centers, hospitals, polyclinics)
Professional associations (associations of sports coaches, associations of health professionals, associations of psychologists...)
Business entities (companies related to different areas of sports preparation)

Mode of operation

HPSC directly cooperates with national sports federations and sports staff members that take care of top-level athletes. Staf members directly address HPSC with inquiries for professional and scientific support

HPSC 's model of cooperation with top-level athletes, institutions and professional teams

HPSC ‘s project activities related to knowledge transfer are aimed at professional and scientific support for sports coaches and their professional staffs who prepare Croatian top athletes for the most important international competitions. The basic activities of HPSC aimed at knowledge transfer are:

Search for world professional (expert knowledge of world experts) and scientific (kinesiology, sports medicine, physiology, biomechanics, biochemistry, psychology, nutrition) sources of information and formation of a database available to Croatian sports professionals and experts
Creation of special professional and scientific projects based on the needs of professional staffs from a particular sport (medical care, physical preparation, psychological preparation, nutrition, recovery, analysis of sports and sports performance, lifestyle of athletes)
Implementation of applied scientific research that solves specific problems in the field of sports preparation in individual sports
Organization of professional events (seminars, congresses, conferences, symposia) and publication of professional literature (magazines, books, newsletter) with topics from the field of sports training, as well as initiation of additional professional education for personnel in sports and/or guidance of professional personnel for inclusion in educational programmes of national and international institutions that operate or are connected to the subject area
Counseling and discussions (individually and in small groups) with members of individual national expert teams in search of solutions for specific problems in the field of sports preparation
Encouraging the training of professional personnel in sports through the exchange of professional personnel within the framework of international institutions and organizations (agreements on the cooperation of the COC with other NSFs)
Issuing guidelines for individual areas of professional work (consensus statements) based on scientific evidence and expert experiences