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Up until state independence in 1991, Croatian sportsmen competed under a foreign flag, sharing the fate of their country. Finally on 8 February 1992, under their own flag, Croatian sportsmen were able to compete as a part of the small but independent Croatian Olympic delegation at the winter Olympic games in Albertville in France in 1992. In the analogy of the Olympics it will be remembered that one country received an invitation to compete at the Olympic Games only 20 days after it joined the IOC, and that the COC was accepted into IOC membership 4 months and 7 days after being founded.
The first appearance of Croatian sportsmen under the Croatian flag, which was led by the first President of the COC, Antun Vrdoljak today a member of the International Olympic Committee (since 1995), will have a special place in the history of Croatia at the Olympics.
At the Olympic games in Barcelona, Croatian sportsmen achieved a great Olympic and basketball victory by winning the silver medal after a unique final against the so-called 'Dream team', the professional USA representative side.
Goran Ivanišević and Goran Prpic added two bronze medals to Croatia's tally.
In Atlanta in 1996, the Croatian anthem was played for the victory of the men's handball team and Croatia's first gold medal at the Olympic Games.
The water-polo team returned from Atlanta with a silver medal. This series of successes for Croatian sportsmen was continued at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 with a gold medal for weight lifter Nikolaj Pešalov and a bronze for the men's rowing eight's.
At the winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002, Janica Kostelić, at the time with 12 victories in the skiing World Cup, won 3 gold and 1 silver medal in Alpine skiing. In the history of the winter Olympics since 1924, only two skiers have won three gold medals at the one Olympiad - Austrian Tony Sailer (1956) and Frenchman Jean-Claude Killy (1968).
The eleven medals won by Croatian sportsmen at the Olympic Games 1992-2002:
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| Silver |
Gold |
Bronze |
| Basketball (Barcelona 1992) |
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1. Vladan Alanović
2. Franjo Arapović
3. Danko Cvjetičanin
4. Alan Gregov
5. Arijan Komazec
6. Toni Kukoč
7. Aramis Naglić
8. Velimir Perasović
9. Dražen Petrović
10. Dino Rađa
11. Stojko Vranković
12. Žan Tabak | |
| Water-polo (Atlanta 1996) |
| |
1. Maro Balić
2. Perica Bukić
3. Damir Glavan
4. Igor Hinić
5. Vjekoslav Kobeščak
6. Joško Kreković
7. Ognjen Kržić
8. Dubravko Šimenc
9. Siniša Školneković
10. Ratko Štritof
11. Renato Vrbičić
12. Zdeslav Vrdoljak
13. Tino Vegar | |
| Alpine skiing (Salt Lake City 2002.) |
|
| |
| Handball (Atlanta 1996) |
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1. Patrik Čavar
2. Slavko Goluža
3. Božidar Jović
4. Nenad Kljaić
5. Venio Losert
6. Valter Matošević
7. Alvaro Načinović
8. Goran Perkovac
9. Iztok Puc
10. Zlatko Saračević
11. Irfan Smajlagić
12. Bruno Gudelj
13. Zoran Mikulić
14. Vladimir Jelčić
15. Valner Franković
16. Vladimir Šujster | |
| Weightlifting (Sydney 2000) |
|
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| Alpine skiing (Salt Lake City 2002.) |
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Slalom
Janica Kostelić
Giant Slalom
Janica Kostelić
Combined (Downhill & Slalom)
Janica Kostelić | | |
Tennis - singles
(Barcelona 1992) |
|
|
| Tennis-doubles (Barcelona 1992) |
| |
1. Goran Ivanišević
2. Goran Prpić | |
| Rowing - Men's eights (Sydney 2000) |
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1. Igor Francetić
2. Tihomir Franković
3. Tomislav Smoljanović
4. Nikša Skelin
5. Siniša Skelin
6. Krešimir Čuljak
7. Igor Boraska
8. Branimir Vujević
9. Silvio Petriško, kormilar | | | |
However, from the first organised sport of shooting (Osijek 1784) up until 2002, many Croatian sportsmen, coaches and officials have contributed to the total progress of sport in Croatia. From the beginning of organised basketball, Croatian players have played an important role on the international sports scene. Croatian basketball great Krešimir Čosić grew up with the Zadar basketball club and was the bearer of Croatian basketball successes during the 60's, 70's and 80's of last century. In recognition of his achievements, the world sporting public has included him in the Hall of Fame in Springfield, USA. During the 1980's, Croatia gave Dražen Petrović to the world, the greatest basketball player Europe has ever had. In memory of Dražen, who tragically died in a motor car accident in 1993, a permanent monument has been placed in the park of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Dražen's team mate from the Croatian 'dream team' in Barcelona in 1992, Toni Kukoč, is the most successful Croatian basketball player to have ever played in the professional NBA league.
No less important a contribution to Croatian sport was made by swimmer Đurđica Bjedov, gold and silver Olympian in Mexico in 1968, and boxers Mate Parlov, gold medal in the light heavyweight category in Munich in 1972, Damir Škaro, bronze medallist in Seoul in 1988, and Željko Mavrović, former European professional heavyweight champion.
Then there was the legendary canoeist, Matija Ljubek, an Olympian with 4 medals, who up until his tragic death gave his expert and organisational knowledge to Croatian sport by performing the function of Vice-President and Executive Director of the Croatian Olympic Committee.
Following in the steps of Dragutin Šurbek, the Croatian sportsman with the largest number of trophies, Croatian table tennis players Zoran Primorac and Tamara Boroš have continued the tradition of successes at European and International level.
The new generation of Croatian sportsmen is lead by swimmer Gordan Kožulj, world record holder in the 200 metre backstroke in 2001, and Ivica Kostelić, winner of the World Cup in skiing in the slalom discipline (2001/2 season) and winner of the small Crystal Globe.
Croatian football achieved it's greatest triumph in 1998 by winning third place at the World Cup in France. The Croatian representative side, popularly called the «Vatreni» (the fiery ones) was lead by the top goal scorer of the tournament, Davor Šuker.
Croatian sportsmen continued to reap successes in 2002/2003. Rowers came back from Seville with two bronzes – pairs without coxswain (Siniša and Nikša Skelin) and fours with coxswain (Ninoslav Saraga, Oliver Martinov, Ivan Jukić, Igor Boraska and coxswain Luka Travaš). Croatian men’s handball team won the gold medal at the world championship in Portugal and reclaimed the throne they lost after Atlanta. Certainly the most famous sports family is the Kostelić family. Janica Kostelic won two gold medals in St. Moritz (combination and slalom), and her brother Ivica one (slalom). For the second time in her career Janica received the big crystal globe for her overall victory at the world cup, and the small crystal globe as the best women’s slalom rider in the 2002/2003 season.
Source: Croatian Olympic Committee,www.hoo.hr
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