Although Croatia has inherited a tradition of sporting competition dating back to Roman times, or medieval knights’ tournaments, the beginnings of organised sport in the country can be traced to the late 19th century, when the first sports associations were founded. Hrvatski Sokol (Croatian Falcon) was founded in 1874, and soon spread throughout the country, becoming the largest, most popular organisation, promoting modern gymnastics and other branches of sport (cycling, fencing, equestrianism, athletics, skating, tennis, and so on).
By the early 20th century, there were more and more sportsmen and women in Croatia, and alongside the continuing high numbers of Sokol association members, who were united in the Hrvatski Sokolski Savez (Croatian Falcon Union) in 1907, special sports organisations were founded, particularly football organisations, while the umbrella organisation Hrvatski Športski Savez (Croatian Sports Association) was established in 1909. The further development of Croatian sport and its rich history have been linked primarily with the Olympian movement, and were organised by Franjo Bučar, starting in 1896, representing a century-long struggle for Croatian sporting independence. Olympic participants from Croatia competed under the Austrian, Italian and Yugoslav flags, and first competed under the Croatian flag in 1992, at the Winter Olympic Games held in Albertville and the Summer Games held in Barcelona, following the admittance of the Croatian Olympic Committee to the International Olympic Committee. Since then, Croatian athletes have also participated in other competitions that are part of the Olympic movement and are held under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee (the Youth Olympic Games, the European Games, the Mediterranean Games, the European Youth Olympic Festival).
Although the first appearances by Croatian competitors signified national identification, their successes turned Croatia into a strong sporting country, and today they are a recognisable part of the country’s identity and often serve as its best ambassadors.
Along with many medals at international and European Championships, Croatia has won 44 Olympic medals: 15 gold (three in athletics, two each in handball, shooting, weightlifting, sailing, water polo and rowing, and four in Alpine skiing), 16 silver medals (three in rowing, two each in water polo, athletics, gymnastics, sailing, basketball and swimming, and six in Alpine skiing) and 13 bronze medals (three in tennis, three in taekwondo, and one each in athletics, boxing, weightlifting, handball, shooting, rowing and the biathlon).
Croatians are a sporting nation; sport is part of the compulsory curriculum in schools at all levels of education. Many children and young people take part in extracurricular sporting activities, which are also seen as a way of life in recreational terms. There are about 16,000 sports associations in Croatia. The most popular sport is football, with almost 1,500 registered clubs and 130,000 participants. As in most other European countries, sport in Croatia is financed from the State Budget, state and public contributions, sponsorship and membership fees. The largest sports association is the Croatian Olympic Committee (Hrvatski Olimpijski Odbor – HOO), which was founded in 1991. A total of 85 national sports associations operate within the HOO, covering 44 Olympic sports and 37 non-Olympic sports.
National tennis team. The national tennis team have been competing since 1992; they won three Olympic bronze medals – in 1992 (Goran Ivanišević in men’s singles, and Goran Ivanišević and Goran Prpić in men’s doubles) and in 2004 (Ivan Ljubičić and Mario Ančić in men’s doubles) – and the Davis Cup title in 2005 and 2018, the latter being the last title won according to the old format of the competition. Among the players currently playing for the national team, the most prominent is Marin Čilić (1988), the winner of the US Open in 2014. In addition to his achievements as a member of the national team, Goran Ivanišević (1971) also won Wimbledon in 2001.
National handball team. The men’s national handball team have been competing since 1991; they won gold at the World Championship in 2003 (silver in 1995, 2005 and 2009, and bronze in 2013) and at the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2004 (bronze in 2012). Among the most prominent players are Ivano Balić (1979), the world handball player of the year in 2003 and 2006, and, more recently, Domagoj Duvnjak (1988), the world handball player of the year in 2013.
National water polo team. The national water polo team have been competing since 1991; they took the gold at the World Championships in 2007 and 2017 (the bronze in 2009, 2011 and 2013, the silver in 2015), the European Championship in 2010 (the silver in 1999 and 2003, the bronze in 2018) and the 2012 Olympic Games (the silver in 1996 and 2016). Most of the players come from the Zagreb club Mladost and the Dubrovnik club Jug, both many times winners of the European Champions League.
Shooting. Since Croatian independence in 1991, the greatest achievements in various shooting disciplines have been accomplished by many-times European Champions and Olympic medal winners Snježana Pejčić (1982), who won the bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games, Giovanni Cernogoraz (1982), who won the gold in 2012, and Josip Glasnović (1983), who won the gold in 2016.
Sailing. Since 1991, Croatian sailors have made outstanding achievements in various classes not only in international regattas, but also at the Olympic Games and World and European Championships. Šime Fantela (1986) and Igor Marenić (1986) won the 2016 Olympic Games, the World Championships in 2009 and 2016 (Šime with his brother Mihovil also in 2018) and the European Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Tonći Stipanović (1986) took the gold at the European Championships in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014, and Ivan Kljaković Gašpić (1984) in 2009, 2010 and 2015. Tina Mihelić (1988) won the World Championship in 2013 and the European Championships in 2009 and 2010.
Rowing. Since Croatian independence in 1991, five Olympic and 16 World and 14 European Championships (since 2007) medals have been won in various rowing disciplines. Among the many rowers (Igor Boraska, Tihomir Franković, brothers Siniša and Nikša Skelin, Damir Martin, David Šain and others), the most prominent are brothers Valent (1988) and Martin (1989) Sinković, who won gold at the 2016 Olympic Games (silver in 2012), the World Championships in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019 (bronze in 2011, silver in 2017) and the European Championships in 2012, 2016 and 2018.
National football team. Since Croatian independence in 1991, the national football team have won the bronze medal at the 1998 World Cup and the silver at the 2018 World Cup. In the latter case, the team was led by their captain, Luka Modrić, the best player of the World Cup and winner of the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award, the Best FIFA Men’s Player award and the Golden Ball (presented by France Football). Former national team player Davor Šuker (1968), the top goalscorer of the 1998 World Cup, is the current president of the Croatian Football Federation and member of the UEFA Executive Committee.
Gymnastics. Since Croatian independence in 1991, the most notable achievements in gymnastics have been made, on the pommel horse, by Filip Ude (1986) – the silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, the 2008 European Championships and the 2014 World Championships – and Robert Seligman (1986) – bronze and silver at the European Championships in 2008 and 2018 respectively; and, on the horizontal bar, Marijo Možnik (1987) – silver and gold at the European Championships in 2012 and 2015 respectively, bronze at the 2014 World Championships – and Tin Srbić (1996) – gold at the 2017 World Championships (holder of the World Class Gymnast title), silver at the 2019 World Championships and at the 2019 European Championships.