[1] Panić was born in Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia, where he first started to train in swimming in 1987.

[2] In 1991, he moved to Banja Luka in SR Bosnia, where he became a resident swimmer for PK Borac Incel.

[2] Panic made his official debut at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he competed in the men's 100 m freestyle.

[3] At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Panic qualified again for the men's 100 m freestyle by eclipsing a FINA B-standard entry time of 52.12 from the Croatian Open Championships in Zagreb.

[4] He challenged seven other swimmers on the second heat, including fellow Olympic veterans Alexandr Agafanov of Uzbekistan and Camilo Becerra of Colombia.