Sergei Ovchinnikov, coach of the women's volleyball team at the London Olympics, reportedly hung himself after the team's lackluster performance at the games.
Ovxhinnikov, 43, was found hanged in a hotel room in Croatia and had been "heartbroken" over his country's loss to Brazil, Gennady Fyodorov at Reuters reported.
Local police said they were still investigating what caused the incident. Ovchinnikov was in Croatia for a pre-season training camp.
The Russian volleyball team was considered the front-runner to win gold in London, Fyodorov reported.
Ovxhinnikov was reportedly blamed for the failure:
"Russian media heavily criticised Ovchinnikov for the Olympic failure, saying his lack of top-level international experience was the main reason for losing to Brazil.
"I could see his reaction after that loss," Vladimir Alekno, who led the Russian men's volleyball team to the Olympic gold medal in London, was quoted as saying by local media.
"He took it very personally. He was very hard on himself, probably blamed himself for not winning that match."
Please follow Sports Page on Twitter and Facebook.