Sport in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

has significant role in

Croatian culture The culture of Croatia has roots in a long history: the Croatian people have been inhabiting the area for fourteen centuries. Linguistic anthropological evidence suggests Croats originated from orth Iran There are important remnants of the ear ...

, and many local sports clubs as well as the Croatian national squads enjoy strong followings in the country. The most enduring sport by far in Croatia is football, and is played on amateur and professional levels amongst all age groups across the entire country. Several other major

team sports A team sport includes any sport where individuals are organized into opposing teams which compete to win or cooperate to entertain their audience. Team members act together towards a shared objective. This can be done in a number of ways s ...

are handball,

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

, with clubs in all parts of Croatia.

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

is another popular team sport, namely in the Croatian interior. The most popular

individual sport An individual sport is a sport in which participants compete as individuals. However, team competitions in individual sports also occur, such as the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup. Overview Examples *Athletics *Badminton *Billiards *Bodybuildin ...

s in Croatia are

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

, alpine skiing, and

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

, and to some extent

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

and

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

. Various amateur sport games are popular in Croatia, notably

picigin Picigin () is traditional ball game from Split, Croatia that is played on the beach. It is an amateur sport played in shallow water consisting of players keeping a small ball from touching the water. Origin Picigin originated on the sandy beach ...

History

Franjo Bučar Franjo Bučar (25 November 1866 – 26 December 1946) was a Croatian writer and sports popularizer . He is considered to be the father of Croatian sport and olympism. Bučar was born in Zagreb to Slovenian father Jožef (Josip) Bučar and Croati ...

(1866–1946) is widely considered to be the father of modern Croatian sport. He founded the

Croatian Sports Association Croatian Sports Association ('' Croatian: Hrvatski športski savez'') was founded on October 5, 1909 (according to some sources on October 8, 1909) in Zagreb at the in a "Grič" as the central sports organization that coordinated the work of clubs ...

in 1909 within what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bučar introduced a multitude of mainstream sports in Croatia, such as football, alpine skiing,

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

and

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

, as well as

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

and

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

. The

Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport ( hr, Državna nagrada za šport "Franjo Bučar") is the highest recognition that Republic of Croatia gives for extraordinary achievements and contributions of remarkable meaning for the development of sport in Cr ...

, the Republic of Croatia's highest award in the development of sport, is named in his honor. With the exception of the years during the World War Two

Independent State of Croatia The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...

, Croatian club and national teams first represented the Republic of Croatia at the start of the 1990s, with the formation of the

Croatian national football team The Croatia national football team ( hr, Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a ...

and its first match against the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1990.

Team sports

Association football

Croatia's post-match huddle after the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final

Football is the most popular sport in Croatia, and is governed by the Croatian Football Federation. The Prva HNL is the top division of the country's football league system, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Druga HNL.

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...

is the country's most successful football club and the 2019 champion, with 20 total championships, followed by Hajduk Split with 6 championships (last one in 2005). The rivalry between these two clubs is known as the Eternal Derby in Croatia, with the two clubs combining to win all but one of the 20 championships ever contested in the league's history. The Prva HNL is ranked 17th league in Europe by

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

, and Dinamo Zagreb is the highest-ranked Croatian club in Europe, occupying the 77th spot. The Croatian Cup is the main knock-out tournament in Croatian football, and has also been dominated by Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split. The

Croatian Supercup The Croatian Football Super Cup is a football match between the winners of the Croatian national top league and football cup. The Super Cup is always held at the beginning of a new football season, and is only held when different clubs win the tw ...

is contested between the champions of the Prva HNL and the Croatian Cup. No Croatian club has ever won the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

, however Hajduk Split, at the time Croatia's premier club, made it to the quarter-finals of the 1994–95 league, losing on aggregate to eventual champion

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...

. The

Croatia national football team The Croatia national football team ( hr, Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international football matches. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a ...

won a bronze medal in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and a silver medal in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and a bronze medal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Davor Šuker Davor Šuker (; born 1 January 1968) is a Croatian football administrator and former footballer who played as a striker. He served as president of the Croatian Football Federation from 2012 to 2021. He began his footballing career in his hometo ...

won the Golden Boot as the top goalscorer in 1998 and

Luka Modrić Luka Modrić (; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team. He plays mainly as a central midfielder, but can also play as an a ...

won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament in 2018. The national football team has also played in the quarter-finals of the 1996 and the 2008 European Championships. As of August 2018, the team was ranked 4th in the

FIFA World Rankings The FIFA Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, led by Brazil . The teams of the men's member nations of FIFA, football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the ...

. Today, Croatia's most popular footballers include

Mario Mandžukić Mario Mandžukić (; born 21 May 1986) is a Croatian football coach and a former player who is an assistant coach of the Croatia national team. As a player, he played as a forward and became known for his aggressiveness, defensive contribution ...

Ivica Olić Ivica Olić (; born 14 September 1979) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is an assistant coach of the Croatia national team. During his career, he played for German Bundesliga clubs such as Hamburger SV, VfL Wolf ...

Darijo Srna Darijo Srna (; born 1 May 1982) is a Croatian former professional footballer and current director of football of Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. During most of his career he played as a right wing-back. He began his career at Haj ...

Ivan Perišić Ivan Perišić (; born 2 February 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Croatia national team. Usually deployed as a winger, he has also featured as an attacking midfielder, se ...

Ivan Klasnić Ivan Klasnić (; born 29 January 1980) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He began his career with local side FC St. Pauli, and moved to Werder Bremen in 2001 after helping his previous team to promotion to th ...

, Niko Kranjčar,

Ivan Rakitić Ivan Rakitić (; born 10 March 1988) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a central or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Sevilla. Rakitić started his professional career at Basel and spent two seasons with them before he was s ...

and

Vedran Ćorluka Vedran Ćorluka (; born 5 February 1986) is a Croatian football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He is an assistant to Zlatko Dalić in the Croatia national team. Ćorluka graduated from the Dinamo Zagreb Youth Academ ...

, as well as foreign-born

Josip Šimunić Josip "Joe" Šimunić (; born 18 February 1978) is a Croatian retired footballer and current manager of the Croatia national under-19 team. Born in Australia to Bosnian Croat parents, Šimunić started his career at Melbourne Knights then mov ...

Eduardo da Silva Eduardo Alves da Silva (, ; born 25 February 1983), commonly known as Eduardo and sometimes nicknamed Dudu, is a former professional footballer. Capable of playing any forward position, he started as a striker, but was deployed mostly as a ...

and

Sammir Jorge Sammir Cruz Campos (born 23 April 1987), commonly known as Sammir, is a Brazilian-Croatian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Born in Brazil, Sammir became a naturalized Croatian citizen and has been ca ...

. In August 2012, Modrić was acquired by Spanish giants and 31-time

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

champions Real Madrid for a deal totalling over £33 million, and he made his debut as a substitute in Real's 2–1 victory over

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

rivals

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...

Team handball

CRO_-_ISL_(01)_-_2010_European_Men%27s_Handball_Championship

Historically, Croatia has been a prolific nation in handball, both in the success of its club handball, as well as with the achievements of the Croatian national squad. At the start of the 2nd half of the 20th century,

RK Bjelovar RK Bjelovar (Rukometni Klub Bjelovar) is a team handball club from Bjelovar, Croatia formed in 1955. The club currently competes in the Croatian Second League of Handball (North) and the Croatian Handball Cup. During Communist Yugoslavia, the cl ...

dominated Croatian handball, and in the 1970s won five Yugoslav league championships. In 1972 RK Bjelovar won the

EHF Champions League The Men's EHF Champions League is the most important club handball competition for men's teams in Europe and involves the leading teams from the top European nations. The competition is organised every year by EHF. The official name for the men ...

, Europe's greatest handball competition, and reached the final the following year. A smaller city, Bjelovar's reign of successes can be likened to that of the storied

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...

–

era An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

Green Bay Packers of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

, as the town of Green Bay, Wisconsin, the smallest NFL market in the United States, brought home five league championships in the 1960s. Since Croatian independence,

RK Zagreb Rukometni klub Zagreb ( en, Zagreb Handball Club, ) is a men's professional handball club from Zagreb, Croatia. It competes in the Croatian Premier League, SEHA League, and the EHF Champions League. RK Zagreb won 33 national championships a ...

has been the nation's premier handball club. It has won every Croatian First Handball League championship that has been contested, 28 in all. The club has reached the

finals six times, winning consecutively in 1992 and 1993. In 2008, the club acquired Croatian star

Ivano Balić Ivano Balić (; born 1 April 1979) is a Croatian former professional handballer who is currently working as assistant coach of the Croatia national handball team. He was voted five times in a row as the most valuable player in major internati ...

, considered the best handballer of all time. The

Croatia men's national handball team The Croatia national handball team represents Croatia in international men's team handball competitions and friendly matches. The handball team is controlled by the Croatian Handball Federation (HRS). Croatia has often ...

is currently ranked 10th in the world by the

International Handball Federation The International Handball Federation (IHF) is the administrative and controlling body for handball and beach handball. IHF is responsible for the organisation of handball's major international tournaments, notably the IHF World Men's Handball ...

. At the 1996 and 2004 Summer Olympics, Croatia won gold medals in men's handball. The squad also has won the

2003 World Men's Handball Championship The 2003 World Men's Handball Championship took place in Portugal from 20 January to 2 February 2003. It was the 18th edition of the World Championship in team handball and Croatia won the championship. Qualification First round Group A ...

and came in second at the

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

and 2005 world championships, as well as at the 2009 World Championship as hosts, losing in the final to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Croatia also came in third at the 1994 World Championship and second at the

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and 2010 European championships. Croatia will once host the world handball tournament in

2025 Predicted and scheduled events *January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1929 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** The Federal Aviation Administration, ...

, along

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

Basketball

The

Croatia national basketball team The Croatia men's national basketball team ( hr, Hrvatska košarkaška reprezentacija) represents Croatia in international basketball matches. The team is controlled by the Croatian Basketball Federation (HKS). The biggest success Croatia has ...

has won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympic basketball tournament, bronze medal at the 1994 World Championship and bronze medals at

EuroBasket 1993 The 1993 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1993, was the 28th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Germany between 22 June and 4 July 1993. Sixteen national teams entered ...

and

EuroBasket 1995 The 1995 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1995, was the 29th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 1996 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to ea ...

. Croatian basketball clubs were EuroLeague champions five times:

KK Split Košarkaški klub Split ( en, Split Basketball Club), commonly referred to as KK Split or simply Split, is a men's professional basketball club based in Split, Croatia. The club competes in the ABA League and the Croatian League. History The c ...

three times (1989, 1990 and 1991) and

KK Cibona Košarkaški klub Cibona, commonly referred to as Cibona Zagreb or simply Cibona, is a men's professional basketball club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club is a founding member and shareholder of the Adriatic Basketball Association, and compete ...

in 1985 and 1986. Croatian basketball players such as

Krešimir Ćosić Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić (; 26 November 1948 – 25 May 1995) was a Croatian-Yugoslavian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and w ...

Dino Rađa Dino Rađa (Anglicized: Dino Radja, ; born April 24, 1967) is a Croatian former professional basketball player. He was a member of the Jugoplastika team of the late 1980s and early 1990s, which he helped to win two FIBA European Champions Cup ...

and

Toni Kukoč Toni Kukoč, nicknamed ''“The Waiter”'' (; born September 18, 1968) is a Croatian-American former professional basketball player who serves as Special Advisor to Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner of the Chicago Bulls. After a highly successful perio ...

were amongst the first foreign players to succeed in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) in the United States. One of the most notable Croatian basketballers was

Dražen Petrović Dražen Petrović (; 22 October 1964 – 7 June 1993) was a Yugoslav and Croatian professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he initially achieved success playing professional basketball in Europe in the 1980s, before joining the Nati ...

, who died in a car accident in June 1993. He is considered a crucial part of the vanguard to the present-day mass influx of European players into the NBA and he was posthumously enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.NBA.com
Drazen Petrovic
/ref> In 2013, he was voted the best European Basketball player in history, by players at the 2013 FIBA EuroBasket.CroatiaWeek.co
The Best European Basketballer Ever
/ref>

Water polo

The

Croatia national water polo team The Croatia men's national water polo team represents Croatia in international water polo competitions and is controlled by the Croatian Water Polo Federation. They have won gold medals in the Olympics, World and European Championships, FINA Worl ...

won gold medals in the 2007 and 2017 World Championships, and bronze medals in the 2009 and 2011 World Championships. The team also won gold at the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and silver at the 1996 and 2016 Summer Olympics, as well as gold at the 2010 and silvers in the

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

and 2003 European Championships. Croatian water polo clubs were 13 times

LEN Champions League The LEN Champions League is the top-tier European professional water polo club competition with teams from up to 18 countries. It is organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation. The competition started in 1963 as European Cup. A change of na ...

champions.

HAVK Mladost Hrvatski akademski vaterpolo klub Mladost ( en, Croatian Academic Water Polo Club Mladost) or simply HAVK Mladost is a professional water polo club based in Zagreb, Croatia. The club was formed in 1946 and it is part of the Mladost sports societ ...

from

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

is a seven time European champion (1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1990, 1991 and 1996) and was awarded the title ''Best Club of the 20th Century'' by the

LEN Len or LEN may refer to: People and fictional characters * Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lén, a character from Irish mythology * Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player * Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ *Le ...

VK Jug Vaterpolski klub Jug ( en, Jug Water Polo Club) is a professional water polo club based in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The club was established in 1923 as part of sports society "JUG". As of the 2021–22 season, VK Jug competes in the Croatian League, ...

from

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

and

VK Jadran Vaterpolski klub Jadran Split ( en, Jadran Split Water Polo Club), commonly referred to as Jadran Split or simply Jadran, is a professional water polo club based in Split, Croatia. As of 2021–22 season, the club competes in the Croatian Leag ...

from

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

are both three time European champions, while

POŠK POŠK (POmorski Športski Klub: ''Marine Sports Club''), is a professional water polo club based in Split, Croatia. The club was founded in 1937. As of 2021–22 season, it competes in the Croatian League and Regional League A2. History The club ...

, also from Split, is a European champion from 1999.

Rugby union

Rugby union in pre-independence Croatia was a moderately popular sport, but due to its recent international successes, it is gaining more recognition. Some people date the start of Croatian rugby to 17 January 1954 when the Mladost team from Zagreb was formed to become Croatia's first Rugby Club. Croatian sides competed in the

Rugby Championship of Yugoslavia The Rugby Championship of Yugoslavia was the highest level competition of the Rugby union in Yugoslavia. The league lasted until 1991, when several successor leagues were formed. Results Wins by club * RK Nada Split (11 championships) * RK ...

, which ran from 1957–1991. Croatia was something of a centre of rugby union in Yugoslavia before it gained its independence. The biggest rugby "

scrum Scrum may refer to: Sport * Scrum (rugby), a method of restarting play in rugby union and rugby league ** Scrum (rugby union), scrum in rugby union * Scrum, an offensive melee formation in Japanese game Bo-taoshi Media and popular culture * M ...

" in the world was made on 14 Oct 2007, in Croatia, with over 200 players of all categories from Croatian rugby club

Nada Nada may refer to: Culture *Nāda, a concept in ancient Indian metaphysics Places *Nada, Hainan, China *Nada, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States *Nada, Nepal, village in Achham District, Seti Zone *Nada, Texas, United Sta ...

, for a Millennium Photo.

Australian Rules Football

Is gaining popularity mainly due to the University of Zagreb. Four teams currently play out of Zagreb and one out of Slavonski Brod whilst a team from Graz in Austria also competes in the CEAFL. Topper in FIFA 2018.

Ice hockey

Introduced at the start of the 20th century,

became one of Croatia's first organized and federated sports, with Franjo Bučar's founding of the ''Association for Skating and Ice Hockey'', the precursor to the modern

Croatian Ice Hockey Federation The Croatian Ice Hockey Federation ( hr, Hrvatski savez hokeja na ledu, HSHL) is the governing body of ice hockey in Croatia. The Croatian Ice Hockey Federation was established on November 9, 1935 in Zagreb. It has been a member of IIHF since May ...

. From the late 1930s until Croatia's independence, Croatian ice hockey clubs competed in the Yugoslav Hockey League, with Croatia's most successful club

KHL Medveščak Zagreb KHL Medveščak Zagreb ( hr, Klub hokeja na ledu Medveščak Zagreb), also known as KHL Medveščak Mladi, is a Croatian ice hockey club based in Zagreb, established in 1961. The team's name derives from the location of its original arena in the ...

winning the championship three consecutive times from 1988 to 1990. Ice hockey is particularly popular in the interior regions of Croatia's Pannonia,

Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baran ...

and

Zagorje Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian for "backland" or "behind the hills") is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica Mountain. It compris ...

, where winters are as cold as in more prolific hockey nations such as

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. Today, KHL Medveščak competes in the Russian

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...

or KHL, the top-tier Russian tournament and the 2nd highest-ranking ice hockey league in the world. Before joining KHL, Medveščak played in the Austrian

EBEL Ebel is a Swiss luxury watch company that was founded in 1911 at La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. History Ebel was established in 1911 by Eugène Blum and his wife, Alice (née Lévy). The brand name originates from th ...

, Medveščak debuted in EBEL in the 2009 season and it has qualified for the playoffs every year. Medveščak joined the

in the 2013–14 season.

Volleyball

Croatia women's national volleyball team , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

won silver medals three times at European Volleyball Championship in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

and

Individual sports

Goran Ivanisevic serve Wimbledon 2004 (cropped)

Janica Kostelić Janica Kostelić (; born 5 January 1982) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer and four-time Olympic gold medalist from Croatia. In addition to the Olympics, she won five gold medals at the World Championships. In World Cup competition, she w ...

is the most successful female alpine ski racer in the history of the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

. She is the only woman to win four gold medals in alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics Alpine skiing events (in 2002 and 2006), and the only woman to win three alpine skiing gold medals in one Olympics ( 2002). She also won two silver medals in 2006. Janica was the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

overall champion in 2001, 2003, and 2006. On February 5, 2006 Janica became only the second female skier to win all five disciplines in one season. She also holds the record for the highest number of points in one World Cup season. In 2006 she won

Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year The Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year is an annual award honouring the achievements of individual women from the world of sports. It was first awarded in 2000 as one of the seven constituent awards presented during the Laure ...

. Her elder brother

Ivica Kostelić Ivica Kostelić (; born 23 November 1979) is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Croatia. He specialized in slalom and combined, but was also one of the few alpine World Cup ski racers able to score points in all disciplines. He is the bro ...

was the 2003 World Champion in slalom and the Men's Overall Champion at the

2011 Alpine Skiing World Cup Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *'' ...

, and as of 14 February 2014 is a four-time Winter Olympic silver medalist himself.

Blanka Vlašić Blanka Vlašić (; born 8 November 1983) is a Croatian former track and field athlete who specialized in the high jump. She is a two-time world champion and double Olympic medallist who ranks as the joint second highest female jumper of all tim ...

is the best-known Croatian

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete; she specialises in the high jump. She is 2007 and 2009 World Champion. Blanka is also 2008 World Indoor Champion, 2008 Olympic silver medalist and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist. Her personal best is (which is only 1 cm less than the world record) set in Zagreb on August 31, 2009.

Goran Ivanišević Goran Ivanišević (; born 13 September 1971) is a Croatian former professional tennis player and current coach. He is the only player to win a Wimbledon singles title as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001 while ranked world No. 125, after ...

became the first ever wildcard to win Wimbledon when he won his first and only

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

title in 2001. He was previously a three time runner-up at the event. Croatia also won Davis Cup on two occasions in 2005 and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

. Other Grand Slam champions from Croatia include 2014 US Open champion

Marin Čilić Marin Čilić (; born 28 September 1988) is a Croatian professional tennis player. Čilić has won 20 ATP Tour singles titles, including a major at the 2014 US Open. He was also runner-up at the 2017 Wimbledon Championships and the 2018 Austral ...

and 1997 French Open champion

Iva Majoli Iva Majoli-Marić (born 12 August 1977) is a former professional tennis player from Croatia who played for both Yugoslavia and Croatia. She upset Martina Hingis to win the women's singles title at the French Open in 1997. Majoli also won seven o ...

Croatian athletes have had considerable success in individual sports as well, where they represented Croatia in international competitions at the highest level. These sports include: * Alpine skiing **

Natko Zrnčić-Dim Natko Zrnčić-Dim (; born 7 March 1986) is a Croatian alpine ski coach and retired World Cup skier. He won a bronze medal in super combined at the World Championships in 2009 at Val-d'Isère, France, and is a member of SK Medveščak. Born ...

, Ana Jelušić,

Nika Fleiss Nika Fleiss (born 14 December 1984) is a Croatian former alpine skier. Fleiss was born in Brežice, at the time SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia. She lives in Samobor. Having started skiing at the age of 3, her best results were in slalom. Afte ...

Sofija Novoselić Sofija Novoselić (born January 18, 1990) is a Croatian alpine skier, member of the Croatian Alpine Ski Team. Her strongest discipline is slalom. Novoselić was born in Zagreb, at the time in SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. She debuted in Zagreb in 2 ...

, Vedran Pavlek * Archery ** Ivana Buden * Athletics **

, Branko Zorko,

Sandra Perković Sandra Perković (born 21 June 1990) is a Croatian discus thrower. She is a two-time Olympic (2012, 2016) and World (2013, 2017) champion and record six-time European champion ( 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022) which no other female athlete ...

, Ana Šimić, Ivan Horvat, Lisa Stublić, Sara Kolak, Stipe Žunić, Siniša Ergotić,

Franjo Mihalić Franjo Mihalić (; 9 March 1920 – 14 February 2015) was a Yugoslav and Croatian long-distance runner best known for his 1958 win at the Boston Marathon and his marathon silver medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Mihalić competed mostly in marath ...

, Ivan Gubijan * Biathlon ** Jakov Fak (now competes for

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

) * Boxing **

Željko Mavrović Željko Mavrović (; ; born 17 February 1969) is a Croatian former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 1998. In 1998, as an undefeated challenger, he faced Lennox Lewis for the WBC heavyweight title, but lost in what would be his fin ...

, Stipe Drviš,

Mate Parlov Mate Parlov (16 November 1948 – 29 July 2008) was a Croatian-Yugoslavian boxer and Olympic gold medalist who was European and World Champion as an amateur and as a professional. Background Mate Parlov was born in Split, the youngest of four ...

, Hrvoje Sep, Filip Hrgović, Damir Škaro, Alen Babić,

George Chuvalo George Louis Chuvalo, CM (born September 12, 1937 as Jure Čuvalo) is a Canadian former professional boxer who was a five-time Canadian heavyweight champion and two-time world heavyweight title challenger. He is known for having never been kno ...

/Jure Čuvalo * Canoeing **

Matija Ljubek Matija Ljubek (; 22 November 1953 – 11 October 2000) was a Croatian sprint canoeist who competed in the 1970s and 1980s and later became a sports official. Born in Belišće, Osijek-Baranja, Ljubek competed in four Summer Olympics where he w ...

, Danko Herceg * Chess,

Zdenko Kožul Zdenko Kožul (born 21 May 1966) is a Croatian chess player. He holds the title of Grandmaster and was the 2006 European champion. Chess career Born in the north-western Bosnian town of Bihać (then Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), Ko ...

, Ivan Šarić,

Antonio Radić Antonio Radić (born 16 June 1987), better known as agadmator, is a Croatian YouTuber and chess player. He has one of the most popular chess channels on YouTube, and he previously had the most subscribers of any YouTube chess channel from 2018 u ...

(most subscribed chess content creator on Youtube) * Cycling **

Robert Kišerlovski Robert Kišerlovski (born 9 August 1986) is a Croatian former professional road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2005 and 2018 for the , , , , , , and squads. Career At the 2011 Paris–Nice, Kišerlovski crashed on a slipper ...

Kristijan Đurasek Kristijan Đurasek (born 26 July 1987) is a Croatian professional road bicycle racer, who is currently suspended from the sport. He has been competing since 2005, and has represented Croatia at two Summer Olympic Games, in 2012 and 2016. In N ...

* Gymnastics **

Filip Ude Filip Ude (born 3 June 1986) is a Croatian gymnast. On 9 August 2008 he qualified for the Olympic final of the men's pommel horse at the 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and als ...

Marijo Možnik Marijo Možnik (born 18 January 1987 in Zagreb) is a retired Croatian gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The mo ...

Tin Srbić Tin Srbić (born 11 September 1996) is a Croatian artistic gymnast. He is the 2017 World champion on the horizontal bar and the first Croatian to win a gold medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. He is also the 2020 Olympic, 20 ...

Robert Seligman Robert Seligman (born 1 May 1986) is a Croatian artistic gymnast. In 2018, he won the silver medal in the pommel horse event at the 2018 European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. In 2020, he com ...

* Figure skating ** Sanda Dubravčić,

Idora Hegel Idora Hegel (born 13 April 1983, in Zagreb) is a Croatian former competitive figure skater. She is the 2004 Golden Spin of Zagreb champion and a seven-time (2000–05, 2007) Croatian national champion. She represented 2002 Winter Olympics in S ...

, Tomislav Čižmešija,

Željka Čižmešija Željka Čižmešija (born 19 October 1970) is a Croatian retired figure skater. She placed as high as 11th at the European Championships (1987, 1989) and competed at two Winter Olympics (1988, 1992). She was the first woman to represent Croatia ...

* Kickboxing **

Branko Cikatić Branko Cikatić (4 October 1954 – 22 March 2020) was a Croatian heavyweight kickboxer, the first Croatian-born fighter to achieve international success. He was the first K-1 World Grand Prix Champion. The tournament was held on April 30, 1993 ...

Mirko Filipović Mirko Filipović (; born 10 September 1974), better known by his ring name Mirko Cro Cop, is a retired Croatian professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and amateur boxer. He is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro C ...

Antonio Plazibat Antonio Plazibat (born 12 December 1993) is a Croatian professional kickboxer, who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of Glory. Plazibat was the 2014 FFC Futures Light Heavyweight tournament winner, the 2017 K-1 WGP Heavyweight Worl ...

* Mixed martial arts **

, Stipe Miočić,

Roberto Soldić Roberto Soldić (; born 25 January 1995) is a Croatian mixed martial artist and professional boxer, competing in ONE Championship. Before turning 26, Soldić won five belts in five different European MMA promotions including Middleweight and We ...

* Rowing **

Nikša Skelin Nikša Skelin (born 25 March 1978, in Split) is a Croatian rower who has won two Olympic medals. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capi ...

Siniša Skelin Siniša Skelin (born 14 July 1974, in Split) is a Croatian rower who has won two Olympic medals. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the cap ...

Martin Sinković Martin Sinković (born 10 November 1989) is a Croatian rower. He is the younger brother of rower Valent Sinković, with whom he won the gold medal in Men's double sculls at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. He had previously won the silver in the ...

Valent Sinković Valent Sinković (born 2 August 1988) is a Croatian rower. He is the older brother of rower Martin Sinković with whom he won the gold medal in Men's double sculls at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. He had previously won the silver in the men ...

David Šain David Šain (born 8 February 1988 in Osijek) is a Croatian rower. He is an Olympic silver medalist in the men's quadruple sculls, having won silver at the 2012 Summer Olympics with Martin Sinković, Damir Martin and Valent Sinković. This was ...

Damir Martin Damir Martin (born 14 July 1988) is a Croatian rower. He won silver in the men's single scull at the 2016 Olympics losing to Mahé Drysdale in a photo finish and beating the multiple time world champion Ondřej Synek. He also won silver at the ...

Igor Boraska Igor Boraska (born September 26, 1970 in Split) is a Croatian rower who won a bronze medal in the eights competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Early life Igor Boraska was born on September 26, 1970 in Split, SR Croatia, Yu ...

Tihomir Franković Tihomir Franković (born 30 September 1970) is a Croatian rower who won a bronze medal in the eights competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. His teammates were Igor Boraska, Nikša Skelin, Siniša Skelin, Branimir Vujević, Kr ...

Krešimir Čuljak Krešimir Čuljak (born 18 September 1970 in Zagreb) is a Croatian rower, who won a bronze medal in the eights competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. His teammates were Igor Boraska, Nikša Skelin, Siniša Skelin, Branimir ...

Igor Francetić Igor Francetić (born 21 April 1977 in Zagreb) is a Croatian rower who won a bronze medal in the eights competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. His teammates were Igor Boraska, Nikša Skelin, Siniša Skelin, Branimir Vujević, Kr ...

, Branimir Vujević,

Tomislav Smoljanović Tomislav Smoljanović (born 15 July 1977) is a Croatian medical scientist, physician, and a retired rower. Smoljanović won bronze at the 2000 Summer Olympics and silver at the 2001 World Championships as a member of the national eights team. ...

Silvijo Petriško Silvijo Petriško (born 20 November 1979 in Zagreb) is a Croatian rower, who won a bronze medal in the eights competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He was the coxswain of the team, compromising Igor Francetić, Igor Boraska, N ...

* Sailing ** Šime Fantela, Igor Marenić,

Tonči Stipanović Tonči Stipanović (born 13 June 1986) is a Croatian sailor. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's laser class, finishing in 4th place. Stipanović won Croatia's first ever sailing Olympic medal when he came second overall to win ...

, Tina Mihelić,

Enia Ninčević Enia Ninčević (born 9 July 1990) is a Croatian sports sailor. She was born in Split, Croatia. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the women's 470 class where, alongside crewmate Romana Župan Romana Župan (born 22 May 1987) is a ...

Romana Župan Romana Župan (born 22 May 1987) is a Croatian sports sailor. She was born in Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is s ...

, Pavle Kostov, Petar Cupać, Ivan Kljaković-Gašpić * Shooting **

Giovanni Cernogoraz Giovanni Cernogoraz (born 27 December 1982) is a Croatian sports shooter. Competing in shotgun events, he won the Olympic gold medal in men's trap at the London 2012 Summer Olympics. He was elected for Croatian Sportsman of the year by ''Sportsk ...

, Snježana Pejčić,

Josip Glasnović Josip Glasnović (born 7 May 1983) is a Croatian sports shooter who competes in shotgun events. His biggest success was the gold medal in trap at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He reached the trap final at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, w ...

Anton Glasnović Anton Glasnović (born 18 January 1981) is a Croatian sports shooter who competes in shotgun events. His biggest success to date was reaching the trap final at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. His also won a gold medal in team trap along wit ...

Petar Gorša Petar Gorša (born 11 January 1988) is a Croatian sports shooter. He competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , open ...

* Swimming **

Miloš Milošević Miloš ("Mićo") Milošević (born 10 May 1972) is a swimmer from Croatia. His best swimming discipline was butterfly stroke, but he also competed in freestyle and backstroke. Miloš Milošević was born in Split to an ethnic Serb family. He ...

Duje Draganja Duje Draganja (; born 27 February 1983) is a retired Croatian swimmer who won the silver medal in men's 50 metres freestyle race at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Career Draganja won a silver medal in 2005 World Aquatics Champio ...

, Gordan Kožulj, Sanja Jovanović, Đurđica Bjedov, Mihovil Španja, Mario Todorović,

Saša Imprić Saša Imprić (born January 9, 1986 in Zagreb) is a medley swimmer and from Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domov ...

Matea Samardžić Matea Samardžić (born 17 January 1995 in Split, Croatia) is a retired Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our ...

* Table tennis ** Zoran Primorac, Tamara Boroš, Dragutin Šurbek,

Antun Stipančić Antun "Tova" Stipančić (Duga Resa, 18 May 1949 – Zagreb, 20 November 1991) was a highly accomplished Croatian / Yugoslav professional table tennis player. Table Tennis career He was one of the most renowned personalities in the history of t ...

, Sandra Paović, Cornelia Molnar,

Andrej Gaćina Andrej Gaćina (born 21 May 1986) is a male table tennis player from Croatia. Since 2007, he has won two medals in doubles and team events in the Table Tennis European Championships. As of August 2016, he was the number nineteenth player in the ...

* Tennis **

Ivan Ljubičić Ivan Ljubičić (; born 19 March 1979) is a Croatian former professional tennis player. He reached a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world No. 3 singles ranking on 1 May 2006. His career highlights include reaching a Grand S ...

Karolina Šprem Karolina Šprem Baghdatis (born 25 October 1984) is a retired professional tennis player from Croatia. She won eleven titles (ten singles) all at the ITF level. Her highest ranking is world No. 17, achieved in October 2004. Personal life Kar ...

Ivo Karlović Ivo Karlović (; born 28 February 1979) is a former Croatian professional tennis player. His height of 211 cm (6 ft 11 in) makes him the joint tallest ranked tennis player in history, along with Reilly Opelka. He has won eight ATP sin ...

Lovro Zovko Lovro Zovko (born 18 March 1981) is a former professional tennis player from Croatia. Tennis career Juniors As a junior Zovko reached as high as No. 9 in the world rankings in 1998 (and No. 10 in doubles). Pro tour Early in 2000 and 2001, Zov ...

, Marta Petrić,

Mirjana Lučić-Baroni Mirjana Lučić-Baroni (; ; born 9 March 1982) is a Croatian former professional tennis player. She enjoyed a meteoric rise on the WTA Tour in the late 1990s, during which she set several "youngest-ever" records. She captured the women's doubles ...

Donna Vekić Donna Vekić (; born 28 June 1996) is a Croatian professional tennis player and businesswoman. She has won three singles titles on the WTA Tour – at the 2014 Malaysian Open, at the 2017 Nottingham Open, and the 2021 Courmayeur Ladies Open. ...

Silvija Talaja Silvija Talaja (born 14 January 1978) is a Croatian former professional tennis player. Talaja won two singles titles and one doubles title on the WTA Tour, as well as one singles title on the ITF Women's Circuit, ITF Circuit. On 29 May 2000, s ...

Ana Vrljić Ana Vrljić (; born 1 August 1984) is an inactive professional Croatia tennis player. Vrljić has won four singles and eleven doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 24 June 2013, she reached her highest singles ranking of world No. 180. ...

Jelena Kostanić Tošić Jelena Kostanić Tošić (née Kostanić; born 6 July 1981) is a retired tennis player from Croatia. On 26 July 2004, she reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 32. On 4 October 2004, she reached her highest doubles ranking of No. 30. ...

, Ana Konjuh,

Tereza Mrdeža Tereza Mrdeža (born 14 November 1990) is a Croatian tennis player. She has won eight singles and four doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit The ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, previously known as the ITF Women's Circuit, is a series of pro ...

, Goran Prpić,

Mario Ančić Mario Ančić (; born 30 March 1984) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who currently works as a private equity vice president in New York City. He won three singles titles and five doubles titles. His career-high singles ranking ...

Borna Ćorić Borna Ćorić (; born 14 November 1996) is a Croatian professional tennis player. On 5 November 2018, he reached his best singles ranking of world No. 12. On 21 August 2022, Ćorić became the lowest-ranked champion in Masters 1000 history when ...

Ivan Dodig Ivan Dodig (; born 2 January 1985) is a Croatian professional tennis player who primarily specialises in doubles. He is a six-time Grand Slam champion, having won men's doubles titles at the 2015 French Open with Marcelo Melo, and the 2021 Au ...

Marin Draganja Marin Draganja (; born 13 May 1991) is a Croatian professional tennis player and competes mainly on the ATP World Tour in doubles. Draganja reached his highest ATP singles ranking, No. 550 on 29 April 2013, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, ...

, Petra Martić,

Nikola Pilić Nikola "Niki" Pilić (born 27 August 1939) is a Croatian former professional tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. He was one of the Handsome Eight. Pilić was ranked world No. 6 in January 1968 and world No. 7 for 1967 by Lance Tinga ...

Željko Franulović Željko Franulović (; born 13 June 1947) is a Croatian former tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia and has since had a long career in tennis management. He has been the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament director since 2005. Whilst his c ...

Mate Pavić Mate Pavić (; born 4 July 1993) is a Croatian professional tennis player who is a former world No. 1 in doubles. He is a five-time Grand Slam champion, having won three titles in men's doubles: the 2018 Australian Open with Oliver Marach, th ...

Franko Škugor Franko Škugor (; born 20 September 1987) is a Croatian professional tennis player who mainly competes on the ATP Challenger Tour and specialized in doubles. He has a career-high ATP doubles ranking of World No. 17 achieved on 22 April 2019. He i ...

Nikola Mektić Nikola Mektić (born 24 December 1988) is a Croatian professional tennis player who is a former List of ATP number 1 ranked doubles tennis players, world No. 1 in doubles. He is a two-time Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam champion, having won the ...

*Taekwondo ** Filip Grgić, Sandra Šarić,

Martina Zubčić Martina Zubčić (born June 3, 1989 in Zagreb) is a Croatian taekwondo athlete, who competed in the Women's 57 kg class at the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a coun ...

Lucija Zaninović Lucija Zaninović (born 26 June 1987, in Split) is a Croatian taekwondo practitioner. She is the twin sister of taekwondo practitioner Ana Zaninović. Zaninović won the gold medal in the women's flyweight class at the 2010 European Taekwondo C ...

, Ana Zaninović,

Kristina Tomić Kristina Tomić (born 29 March 1995) is a Croatian taekwondo practitioner. She won the bronze medal at the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships on the women's flyweight category. She suffers from type 1 diabetes. She competed in the women's fea ...

. Nataša Vezmar * Weightlifting **

Nikolaj Pešalov Nikolaj Pešalov ( bg, Николай Славеев Пешалов, Nikolay Slaveev Peshalov; born on May 30, 1970) is a Bulgarian-born Croatian Olympic and World former champion in weightlifting. During his long and successful career, Pe� ...

, Amar Musić * Wrestling ** Nenad Žugaj,

Neven Žugaj Neven Žugaj (born 19 April 1983 in Zagreb) is a male wrestler from Croatia. His twin brother Nenad Žugaj (younger by three minutes) also represents Croatia in wrestling. In 2016 European Wrestling Championships – Men's Greco-Ro ...

, Božo Starčević,

Vlado Lisjak Vlado Lisjak (born 29 April 1962 in Petrinja) is a former Croatian Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestler who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics for Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia. He won gold in the Wrestling at t ...

Sports and leagues

National organizations and leagues exist in Croatia for most popular sports. Some of these include: * Football ** Prva HNL ** Druga HNL **

Treća HNL The Druga nogometna liga ( eng, Second football league), commonly Druga NL or 2. NL) is the third tier of the football league system. The league was established in 1991 following the dissolution of the Yugoslav League. It is operated by the Cro ...

Četvrta HNL The Croatian Fourth league (, or commonly ''1. ŽNL'') is a county-based fifth level league in the Croatian football league system. The name Četvrta HNL (4. HNL) is still used in some regions. Subdivisions The teams are divided into 9 county o ...

* Handball ** Premijer liga * Basketball ** Premijer liga *

Futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is ...

** Croatian First League of Futsal *

Water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

Croatian First League of Water Polo The Croatian First League of Water Polo ( hr, Prva hrvatska vaterpolo liga) is the top water polo league in Croatia. The league was formed in 1991 with the dissolution of the Yugoslav First League of Water Polo and its first season started in 1 ...

Croatian Ice Hockey Championship The Croatian Ice Hockey League is the top ice hockey league in Croatia. The league is operated by the Croatian Ice Hockey Federation. History The league was formed in 1991 with the dissolution of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav ...

* Volleyball ** Croatian 1A Volleyball League

National sports teams

Croatia national handball team 2010-01-09

Some of Croatia's more successful national teams include: *

Croatia Davis Cup team The Croatia men's national tennis team represents Croatia in the Davis Cup and is governed by the Croatian Tennis Association. It is captained by Vedran Martić.Croatia won the Davis Cup twice, in 2005 and 2018, and was runner-up in 2016 and 2021. ...

Croatia national cricket team The Croatia national cricket team is the team that represents Croatia in international cricket. The team is organised by the Croatian Cricket Federation, which became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001 and an ...

Croatia national beach handball team The Croatia national beach handball team is the national team of Croatia. It is governed by the Croatian Handball Federation and takes part in international beach handball competitions. It was the first Croatian national t ...

Croatia women's national beach handball team The Croatia women's national beach handball team is the national team of Croatia. It is governed by the Croatian Handball Federation and takes part in international beach handball competitions. Results World Championships World Gam ...

* Croatia national baseball team *

Croatia women's national basketball team The Croatia women's national basketball team is the national representative for Croatia in international women's basketball competition. The team is controlled by the Croatian Basketball Federation (''Hrvatski košarkaški savez''). Results Pr ...

Croatia national futsal team The Croatia national futsal team represents Croatia during international futsal competitions and is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation and represents the country in international futsal competitions, such as the FIFA Futsal World Cup a ...

Croatia women's national handball team The Croatia women's national handball team is the national handball team of Croatia. It is governed by the Croatian Handball Federation and takes part in international team handball competitions. Results Olympic Games World Champions ...

Croatia men's national ice hockey team The Croatian men's national ice hockey team represents Croatia in IIHF ice hockey competitions. It is organized by the Croatian Ice Hockey Federation The Croatian Ice Hockey Federation ( hr, Hrvatski savez hokeja na ledu, HSHL) is the governing ...

* Croatia women's national ice hockey team *

Croatia national rugby union team The Croatia national rugby union team is governed by the Croatian Rugby Union. Croatia have been playing internationals rugby since 1992, they have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. The national side is ranked 39th in the world (as of 18 ...

Croatia national speedway team The Croatia national speedway team are motorcycle speedway national team from Croatia. European Championships Pairs Honours European Championships National speedway teams Speedway Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race ...

Croatia Fed Cup team The Croatia women's national tennis team represents Croatia in Fed Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Croatian Tennis Association. They currently compete in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I. History ''Prior to 1992 see Yugoslavia Fed ...

* Croatia Hopman Cup team * Croatia men's national volleyball team

Achievements

Olympic Games

Croatia has participated in the following Summer Olympic Games to date: * Croatia at the 1992 Summer Olympics *

Croatia at the 1996 Summer Olympics Croatia competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States. Medalists Athletics ;Men ;Track & road events ;Field events Basketball Men's tournament ;Roster * Vladan Alanović * Arijan Komazec * Toni Kukoč * Davor Marcelić ...

* Croatia at the 2000 Summer Olympics *

Croatia at the 2004 Summer Olympics Croatia competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004. This was the nation's fourth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics since the post-Yugoslav era. The Croatian Olympic Committee ( hr, Hrvatski olimpi ...

Croatia at the 2008 Summer Olympics Croatia competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Medalists Athletics ;Men ;Track & road events ;Field events ;Women ;Track & road events * Vanja Perišić of Croatia was later disqualified for faili ...

* Croatia at the 2012 Summer Olympics *

Croatia at the 2016 Summer Olympics Croatia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics. The Croatian Olympic Committee ( hr, Hrvatski olimpijski odbor, ''HOO'' ...

Croatia at the 2020 Summer Olympics Croatia at the Summer Olympics, Croatia competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It wa ...

Croatia has participated in the following Winter Olympic Games to date: * Croatia at the 1992 Winter Olympics * Croatia at the 1994 Winter Olympics * Croatia at the 1998 Winter Olympics * Croatia at the 2002 Winter Olympics * Croatia at the 2006 Winter Olympics *

Croatia at the 2010 Winter Olympics Croatia participated at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Croatian delegation consisted of nineteen athletes in four sports. Medalists Alpine skiing Croatia qualified ten alpine skiers. Ivica Kostelić wa ...

Croatia at the 2014 Winter Olympics Croatia competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, from 7 to 23 February 2014. Croatia qualified 11 athletes, the fewest athletes in the fewest sports since the 1998 Winter Olympics. Competitors Medalists Alpine skiing Accordi ...

Croatia at the 2018 Winter Olympics Croatia competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018, with 19 competitors in four sports. Competitors The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Croatian delegation per ...

Hostings of international sporting events

Croatia has hosted many international sporting events. Until 1992 Croatia hosted the events as a part of

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

Alpine skiing

Zagreb (Sljeme) has organized many FIS races apart from the World Cup races held every year from 2005. The first ever FIS alpine ski race was held in 1995 and included 94 racers from 7 different countries. *

Snow Queen Trophy Snow Queen ( hr, Snježna kraljica) is a World Cup alpine ski race held in the hills of Zagreb, Croatia. The men's and women's slalom races take place on the Medvednica mountaintop Sljeme, just north of Zagreb, usually in early January. The wome ...

(2005—; part of the

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ...

( Sljeme) * Adriatic Slalom (2006—2011; from 2006 to 2009 a FIS race, in 2010 and 2011 part of the FIS Alpine Ski European Cup): Rijeka (

Platak Platak is a ski resort located north of Rijeka, Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image ...

)

Artistic gymnastics

* Žito Challenge Cup (Grand prix Osijek) (2009—): Osijek * 1982 Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Final:

Aquatics

1981 European Aquatics Championships The 1981 European Aquatics Championships were held in an indoor pool (50 m) in Split, Yugoslavia from 5 September to 12 September 1981. Besides swimming there were titles contested in diving, synchronized swimming (women) and water polo ...

2008 European Short Course Swimming Championships The European Short Course Swimming Championships 2008 took place in Rijeka, Croatia from Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 December 2008. Medal table Medal summary Legend: * WR = World record * ER = European record * CR = Championships record Men's e ...

: Rijeka *

2010 Men's European Water Polo Championship The 2010 Men's European Water Polo Championship was the 29th edition of the bi-annual event, organised by the Europe's governing body in aquatics, the Ligue Européenne de Natation. The event took place from 29 August – 11 September at the Sp ...

* 2010 Women's European Water Polo Championship:

Athletics

Hanžeković Memorial Hanžeković Memorial ( hr, Hanžekovićev memorijal) is an athletics event at the Sportski Park Mladost athletic stadium in Zagreb, Croatia as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 1951. ''Hanžek'' (which is the ...

(1951—):

Terry Fox Run The Terry Fox Run is an annual non-competitive charity event held around the world to raise money for cancer research in commemoration of Canadian cancer activist Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope. The event was founded in 1981 by Isadore Sh ...

(2000—):

* Slobodna Dalmacija Women's High Jump Meeting (2007—2011):

** In 2010 the meeting was one of the most visited indoor events in the history of the sport with some 11 000 spectators cheering mainly for

. In 2011 the meeting was held outdoors, on the Riva, the Split's waterfront, to make it more interesting. The meeting was not held in 2012 and 2013 due to Blanka Vlašić's injury. * 1981 European Cup Super League Finals:

1989 European Athletics Junior Championships The 1989 European Athletics Junior Championships was the tenth edition of the biennial athletics competition for European athletes aged under twenty. It was held in Varaždin, Yugoslavia (present-day Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Cr ...

Varaždin ) , image_photo = , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = Grb_Grad ...

1990 European Athletics Championships The 15th European Athletics Championships were held from 26 August to 2 September 1990 in Split, Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. The host stadium was Stadion Poljud. It was the last participation of East Germany (which was already scheduled to be merged ...

* 2002 European Cup Winter Throwing: Pula *

2002 European Cross Country Championships The 9th European Cross Country Championships were held at Medulin in Croatia on 8 December 2002. Serhiy Lebid took his third title in the men's competition and Helena Javornik won the women's race. Results Men individual 9.83 km Total 86 ...

Medulin Medulin ( it, Medolino) is a municipality in the southern part of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia. At the 2011 census the municipality had a population of 6,481, while the settlement proper had 2,777 inhabitants. Medulin is built around a harbour ...

2008 European Cup Winter Throwing The 2008 European Cup Winter Throwing was held on 15 and 16 March 2008 in athletics (track and field), 2008 at Stadion Park mladeži in Split, Croatia, Split, Croatia. It was the eighth edition of the athletics (sport), athletics competition for th ...

( Stadion Park mladeži) *

2010 IAAF Continental Cup The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 200 ...

* 2013 Balkan Veterans Athletic Championship:

(Sports park of Mladost)

Australian football

* 2009 EU Cup Australian rules football:

Samobor Samobor () is a city in Zagreb County, Croatia. It is part of the Zagreb metropolitan area. Administratively it is a part of Zagreb County. Geography Samobor is located west of Zagreb, between the eastern slopes of the Samobor hills ( hr, Samo ...

Basketball

1970 FIBA World Championship The 1970 FIBA World Championship was the 6th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Yugoslavia in Sarajevo, Split, Karlovac, Skopje and Ljubljana, from 10 to 24 May 1970. It was ...

, Karlovac (parts of the competition were also held in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Sk ...

and

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

) * 1972 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship:

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ser ...

* 1975 Eurobakset:

, Karlovac, Rijeka (the final round was played in Belgrade) * 1978–79 FIBA European Cup Winner's Cup Finals:

Poreč Poreč (; it, Parenzo; la, Parens or ; grc, Πάρενθος, Párenthos) is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, west Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, wh ...

1989 Eurobasket The 1989 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1989, was the 26th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Yugoslavia between 20 and 25 June 1989. Eight national teams entered th ...

2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship The 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship was an international basketball competition held in Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa n ...

* 2001 FIBA Under-21 World Championship for Women:

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

* 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship for Women:

* 2003–04 ABA Goodyear League Final Four:

(

Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall The Dražen Petrović Basketball Hall ( hr, Košarkaški centar Dražen Petrović), formerly known as Cibona Sports Centre ( hr, Sportski centar Cibona), is an indoor sports arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The official seating capacity of the ...

) * 2009–10 ABA NLB League Final Four:

(

Arena Zagreb The Arena Zagreb is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The site also includes a building complex, the Arena Complex (Arena Center), making it one of the largest shopping-entertainment centers in the city. The arena is used fo ...

) * 2010 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship:

Crikvenica Crikvenica () is a city in Croatia, located on the Adriatic in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Names The names of the town in various languages include: * la, Ad Turres * it, Cirquenizza * hu, Cirkvenica, Cirkvenicza, Czirkvenicza, Czirkweni ...

, Makarska *

2013 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship for Women The 2013 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship for Women was the 30th edition of the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship for Women, European Under-18 Women's Basketball Championship. 16 teams featured in the competition, held in Vukovar and Vinkovci, C ...

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city's registered population was 28,247 in the 2021 census, the total population of the city was 31,057, making it the largest town of the county. Surround ...

Vukovar Vukovar () ( sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, hu, Vukovár, german: Wukowar) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern region of Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube. Vukovar is the seat of ...

Beach handball

2011 European Beach Handball Championship The 2011 European Beach Handball Championship was held in Umag, Croatia from 4–9 July. Croatia was the defending men's champion, while Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country ...

Umag Umag (; it, Umago) is a coastal town in Istria, Croatia. Geography It is the westernmost town of Croatia, and it includes Bašanija, the westernmost point of Croatia. Population Umag has a population of 7,281, with a total municipal populatio ...

(

ITC Stella Maris The ITC Stella Maris is a tennis complex in Umag, Croatia. The complex is the host of the annual 250 series stop, the Croatia Open Umag. The stadium court has a capacity of 3,500 people. See also * List of tennis stadiums by capacity The fo ...

)

Boxing

* 2004 European Amateur Boxing Championship: Pula

Canoeing and kayaking

* 1999 Canoe Sprint European Championship:

* 2012 Canoe Sprint European Championship:

Chess

* 2010 European Individual Chess Championship: Rijeka

Cycling

Tour of Croatia The CRO Race (formally: ''Tour of Croatia'') is a men's road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race that takes place in Croatia since 2015. It is part of the UCI Europe Tour and is rated by the Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI as a UCI race cl ...

(2015—)

Darts

* 2009 World Dart Championship:

(

Krešimir Ćosić Hall The Krešimir Ćosić Hall ( hr, Dvorana Krešimir Ćosić) is a multi-purpose indoor sports arena located in Zadar, Croatia. The arena is home to the KK Zadar basketball club and also hosts concerts, conventions and other sporting, business and ...

) * 2009 European Dart Championship:

(

)

Fencing

* 2013 European Fencing Championship:

Figure skating

Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy is an international, multi-level synchronized skating competition, held annually since 2001 in Zagreb, Croatia. the competition is organized by Croatian Skating Federation and sanctioned by the International Skating Unio ...

(2001—):

* 1974 European Figure Skating Championship:

* 1979 European Figure Skating Championship:

* 1999 World Junior Figure Skating Championship:

* 2004 World Synchronized Skating Championship:

* 2008 European Figure Skating Championship:

* 2009 World Synchronized Skating Championship:

* 2013 European Figure Skating Championship:

Football

1976 UEFA European Football Championship The 1976 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Yugoslavia. This was the fifth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 16 and 20 June 1976. Only f ...

(

Maksimir Stadium Maksimir Stadium ( hr, Stadion Maksimir, ) is a multi-use stadium in Zagreb, Croatia. It takes its name from the surrounding neighbourhood of Maksimir. The venue is primarily the home of Dinamo Zagreb, the top club of the country with 23 league ...

; the second semi-final and the final were played in Belgrade) *

2009 UEFA Regions' Cup The 2009 UEFA Regions' Cup was the sixth UEFA Regions' Cup. It was held in Croatia and won by the '' Castile and León'' team from Spain, which beat Romania's ''Oltenia'' 2–1 in the final. Preliminary round The eleven teams in the prelimin ...

(

Stadion Lučko Stadion Lučko is a small stadium in the Lučko neighbourhood of Zagreb, Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our B ...

Vrbovec Vrbovec () is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia, lying to the northeast of the capital Zagreb. Geography The town of Vrbovec lies to the north-east of Zagreb, either along the A4 motorway and the D10 expressway or by the old Zagreb – D ...

Velika Gorica Velika Gorica (; meaning "Great Vineyard/Forest") is the largest and most populous city in Zagreb County, Croatia. According to the 2011 census the city itself has a population of 31,341, while the municipality has a population of 63,517 inhabita ...

Jastrebarsko Jastrebarsko (; hu, Jaska), colloquially known as Jaska, is a town in Zagreb County, Croatia. History Antiquity In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan are ...

Zaprešić Zaprešić () is a town in Hrvatsko zagorje, Zagreb County in Croatia. It has a population of 19,644 inhabitants in the town proper, with 25,223 in the administrative area. The town's metropolitan area, which encompasses the seven neighbouring m ...

( Stadion ŠRC Zaprešić)

Futsal

* Kutija šibica (1970—):

(

Dom sportova Dom sportova (), is a multi-purpose indoor sports arena located in Zagreb, Croatia. The venue was built in 1972 on Trešnjevka, in the western part of the city. It has 32,000 m2 of floorspace, and it features six halls. The seating capacity o ...

, Sports Hall Trešnjevka, Sports Hall Trnsko, Sports Hall Peščenica) *

2012 UEFA Futsal Championship The UEFA Futsal Euro 2012 was the eighth official edition of the UEFA UEFA Futsal Championship, European Championship for national futsal teams. It was hosted by Croatia, and was played from January, 31 to February, 11. 12 teams competed for the ...

( Spaladium Arena),

(

)

Handball

1957 World Women's Handball Championship The 1957 World Women's Handball Championship took place in Virovitica, People's Republic of Croatia, PR Croatia and Belgrade, People's Republic of Serbia, PR Serbia within Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, FPR Yugoslavia in 1957. Prelimin ...

Virovitica Virovitica () is a Croatian city near the Hungarian border. It is situated near the Drava river and belongs to the historic region of Slavonia. Virovitica has a population of 14,688, with 21,291 people in the municipality (census 2011). It is als ...

(part of the competition was also played in Belgrade) *

2000 European Men's Handball Championship The 2000 European Men's Handball Championship was the fourth edition of the tournament and was held in Croatia from 21 to 30 January 2000, in the cities of Zagreb and Rijeka. Sweden won the tournament after defeating Russia in the final, while S ...

(

), Rijeka (

Dvorana mladosti Dvorana Mladosti ( en, Hall of Youth) is a sports hall in Rijeka, with sporting, cultural, business and entertainment events. The hall was built in Trsat in 1973. The size of the hall is 5,458 m2, and the surface of outer space is 10,486 m2. The ...

) * 2003 World Women's Handball Championship:

, Karlovac,

Čakovec Čakovec (; hu, Csáktornya; la, Aquama; german: Tschakathurn) is a city in northern Croatia, located around north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Čakovec is both the county seat and the largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, s ...

, Rijeka *

2009 World Men's Handball Championship The 2009 World Men's Handball Championship (21st tournament) took place in Croatia from 16 January to 1 February, in the cities of Split, Zadar, Osijek, Varaždin, Poreč, Zagreb and Pula. Croatia was selected from a group of four potential host ...

, Osijek,

Varaždin ) , image_photo = , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = Grb_Grad ...

, Pula * 2011–12 SEHA League Final Four:

(

) *

2014 Women's Junior World Handball Championship The 2014 IHF Women's Junior World Championship was the 19th edition of the tournament and took place in Croatia from 28 June to 13 July 2014. South Korea won the final and their first title by defeating Russia 34–27. Denmark secured the bronze m ...

: *

2014 European Women's Handball Championship The 2014 European Women's Handball Championship was the eleventh continental tournament for women's national teams, organized by the European Handball Federation. The second jointly hosted edition in the competition's history took place in Hungar ...

Varaždin ) , image_photo = , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = Grb_Grad ...

(the competition will be jointly-hosted with

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

)

Ice hockey

* 2005 Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A:

* 2007 Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A:

* 2011 Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group B:

* 2013 Ice Hockey World Championship Division II Group A:

Judo

* Rijeka Grand Prix ( IJF World Judo Tour; 2013): Rijeka (

Centar Zamet Centar Zamet ( en, Centre Zamet) is a sports hall in Rijeka, with sporting, cultural, business and entertainment events. The hall was built in Zamèt, Zamet in 2009 .The size of the hall is 16,830 m², and the surface of outer space is 88,075 m² ...

)

Motorsport

* Croatia Rally (1974—; part of the

European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The championship has b ...

) * 2013 European Hill Climb Championship: Buzet * 2013 Individual Speedway European Championship:

Donji Kraljevec Donji Kraljevec ( hu, Murakirály) is a village and municipality in Međimurje County, Croatia. Geography and demographics In the 2011 census, the municipality had a population of 4,659. Of the entire population, a total of 4,578 people (98.3%) i ...

Picigin

* Picigin World Championship (2005—):

Sailing

* 1996 Open Match Racing World Championship:

* 2000 Open Match Racing World Championship:

* 2004 470 World Championship:

* 2006 Finn Gold Cup:

* 2011 Youth Sailing World Championship:

* 2012 49er World Championship:

* 2013 Formula Windsurfing World Championship:

Viganj Viganj () is a village located in the west of the Pelješac peninsula in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea, between Nakovana and Kućište. It has a population of 283. Because the Maestral wind is common in summer time, Viganj is ...

Shooting

* 1985 European Shooting Championship: Osijek * 1989 European Shooting Championship:

* 2001 European Shooting Championship:

* 2003 ISSF World Cup:

* 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championship:

* 2009 European Shooting Championship: Osijek * 2013 European Shooting Championship: Osijek

Tennis

* ATP Vegeta Croatia Open (1990—):

Zagreb Indoors The Zagreb Indoors (currently sponsored by PBZ) was a men's tennis event on the ATP Tour held in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. In 1996 and 1997 the tournament was named Croatian Indoors. From 2009 until 2015, it was a part of the ATP 250 Series ...

(1996—):

Volleyball (indoor)

2001 FIVB Girls Youth World Championship The FIVB Volleyball Girls' U19 World Championship is the world championship of volleyball for female players under the age of 19 organized by ''Fédération Internationale de Volleyball'' ( FIVB). The first edition was staged in 1989 in Curitiba, ...

: Pula *

2005 Women's European Volleyball Championship The 2005 Women's European Volleyball Championship was the 24th edition of the event, organised by Europe's governing volleyball body, the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball. It was hosted in Pula and Zagreb, Croatia from 17 to 25 September ...

: Pula,

Multi-sport events

* 1971 Balkan Games:

1979 Mediterranean Games The 1979 Mediterranean Games, officially known as the VIII Mediterranean Games, and commonly known as Split 1979, were the 8th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Split, Yugoslavia, from 15 to 29 September 1979, where 2,408 athletes (2,00 ...

1987 Summer Universiade The 1987 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIV Summer Universiade, took place in Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. It involved participants from 111 countries and over 6,000 individual sportspersons and members of teams. Infrastructural cha ...

1999 Military World Games The 1999 Military World Games was the second edition of the global multi-sport event for military personnel, organised by the International Military Sports Council (CISM). It was hosted in Zagreb, Croatia from 8 to 17 August. Mar del Plata, Arge ...

(

Stadion Maksimir Maksimir Stadium ( hr, Stadion Maksimir, ) is a multi-use stadium in Zagreb, Croatia. It takes its name from the surrounding neighbourhood of Maksimir. The venue is primarily the home of Dinamo Zagreb, the top club of the country with 23 le ...

) * Sportske igre mladih:

* 2016 European University Games:

, Rijeka

References

External links

Hrvatska domaćin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sport In Croatia Modern history of Croatia