Croatian skier sorry for 'Nazi' remarks

Mr Kostelic says he despises Nazism

By Alix Kroeger BBC European affairs analyst

The Croatian skier, Ivica Kostelic, has apologised for comparing his state of mind before a race to that of a German soldier in June 1941.

One of my statements has been, unfortunately, taken out of context and interpreted totally incorrectly - if I have hurt anyone by that statement, I offer my most sincere apologies

Ivica Kostelic

But he has rejected allegations that he holds Nazi sympathies and has accused the media of twisting his words in order to harm him and his family.

In a statement on Thursday, the star of the Croatian men's ski team said he and his family "deeply despise Nazism" and consider it "one of the greatest ills in human history."

He explained his comments as the use of a clumsy and unfortunate metaphor, chosen under the influence of a war movie he'd been watching.

Mr Kostelic's remarks were reported in a Croatian news magazine, Nacional, which also published on its website the recording of an interview Mr Kostelic gave last May.

Sponsor trouble

In it, the skier said that Nazism was a healthier system than Communism.

He said the Holocaust was "the vision of an idiot", but the main difference from Communism, was that under Nazism, the individual could still get ahead.

During World War II, Croatia was a Nazi puppet state but because it was nominally independent, present-day nationalists have often been half-hearted in their denunciations of the past.

However, Mr Kostelic's statement may not be enough for the main sponsor of the Croatian ski team, the Austrian bank Hypo Alpe Adria.

The bank has demanded an explanation and is meeting Mr Kostelic next week.