Igor Kolakovic: Iran Volleyball Team Could Qualify for Olympics Semis

The 51-year-old Montenegrin coach led Serbia at the 2006 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship and 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.

Kolakovic and Argentinean coach Carlos Javier Weber are new candidates to take charge of the Iranian volleyball team.

Iran Volleyball Federation had previously negotiated with Bulgarian coach Radostin Stoychev, former Italy coach Mauro Berruto and Andrea Anastasi. 

The full text of the interview is as follows:

You are a candidate to take charge of the Iranian volleyball team. How and why did you get interested in offer?
For years now the Iranian federation has been raising the level of organization and ambition of their national team and national league. It would be a great honor for me as well as a challenge to work as a head coach of Iran’s national team.

What’s the secret behind Iran’s success during the past years?
I think that the quality of the Iran’s national team is very high. Today, the Iran is among the World’s finest, based on both quality and potential. The Iranian league is getting stronger and more interesting every year. There are a lot of foreign players who raise the quality of the league, which allows the Iranian players to develop more quickly and efficiently.

An important fact is that Iran is open to foreign players and coaches in both national team and clubs, because the exchange of experience and knowledge are important factors for the development and increased the quality of the Iranian players.

How was the performance of Slobodan Kovac in Iran?
I think that Slobodan Kovac did a very good job in Iran. Iran also made its greatest success while Kovac was head coach. They finished 4th in the FIVB World League and 6th in the World Championship.

What do you want to achieve with Iran in Asia and the world?
I said that Iran is among the World’s finest and I also think that Iran can stay there. Iran is definitely the best team in Asia, while there is a strong competition in the rest of the world, but with devoted and serious work Iran should always have the ambition to fight for a medal.

How do you feel about working in Asia?
The experiences of other coaches who worked in Asia were very positive. The work and life conditions are optimal and the culture of sports is at a very high level, therefore working in Asia would be a great challenge for me, as well as a chance for an Asian team to win a medal in a great competition.

Is it possible for the Iranian volleyball team to book a place in the 2020 Olympic Games semis under guidance of Kolakovic?
I already mentioned that I respect the quality of the Iranian volleyball. Also, I am confident in my work because of my experience and the results which I achieved with the national team of Serbia (12 medals). I think four years will be enough time to get the team on the level which will secure the ambition and the quality necessary to play for the semi-final of the Games in Tokyo in 2020.

Have you talked to former Iran volleyball coaches Kovac, Cvetkovic or Gajic after receiving an offer from the Iranian federation?
The life and work experiences of Kovac, Cvetkovic and Gajic in Iran was significant. If I am chosen to be the new coach of Iran, I will surely consult them about their observations which could be helpful for a quicker and better understanding of the particularities of work and life in Iran.