Gheorghe Cretu will continue to lead the Slovenian men’s volleyball national team after he took over in August last year and led them to the top four in the world. The Romanian coach is now aiming to lead Slovenia to the Olympic Games in Paris. Cretu expressed his happiness in continuing his work with the Slovenian team and acknowledged the support of many players from the last World Championship.
Under Cretu’s leadership, Slovenia achieved its greatest success in volleyball, reaching the semifinals and finishing fourth in the world. Cretu also led his team, Grupa Azoty Kedzierzyn-Kozle, to victory in the European Champions League, as well as both the national and cup titles in Poland, earning him the title of coach of the year in 2022 by the European Volleyball Confederation.
Slovenia faces numerous challenges in three different competitions, including appearances in Japan, France, and the Philippines as part of the Nations League. Their performance will determine their ranking on the world list, where they currently hold an excellent ninth place. The team will also compete in the European Championship in Bulgaria, where they won a silver medal two years ago.
Following the elite continental competition, Slovenia will compete in the Olympic qualifying tournaments in Japan and try to realize their Olympic dreams for the first time in history. The top two teams from each of the three qualifying tournaments will advance to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, with the remaining five places filled by national teams based on their world ranking after the regular part of the Nations League in 2024. With Cretu at the helm, Slovenia is aiming high for their Olympic aspirations.
