Croatian sport
Despite its relatively small population, Croatia can boast many successes in sport. Given the multitude of international successes and the associated spread of a positive image of Croatia, one could say that Croatian athletes are often considered the best ambassadors of this small country in the world. The greatest successes of Croatian national teams include the runner-up at the 2018 World Cup in Russia , third place at the 1998 World Cup in France , the victory of handball players at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and 2004 in Athens (as well as the win at the Handball World Championship 2003 in Portugal ), the silver medal for the basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona , the silver medal for the national water polo team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, as well as the victory at the 2007 Water Polo World Championships , the gold medal at the Olympic Games in 2012 as well as the silver medal in rowing for the brothers Nikša and Siniša Skelin in Athens 2004 ( two men without helmsman ). The Croatian national tennis team was the 2005 Davis Cup winner. The Croatian national football team has qualified for the final round of the World Cup for the fourth time since gaining independence in 1991. More at: Football World Cup 2006 in Germany . At the 2007 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Debrecen , Hungary , Sanja Jovanović set a new world record over 50 meters back.
Many Croatian individual athletes continuously demonstrate top athletic performance. The greatest individual sporting achievements include the Wimbledon victory of Goran Ivanišević in 2001 in tennis, the silver medal in swimming for Duje Draganja at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens (50 meters freestyle), and Janica Kostelić's triple Olympic success at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City ( combined , slalom , giant slalom ; silver in Super-G ). The discus thrower Sandra Perković won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in London in 2012 and in Rio in 2016 .
Famous Croatian athletes
Croatian athletes were particularly successful in the following disciplines:
Sporting events
- 1934 Balkan Games in Zagreb
- 1971 Balkan Games in Zagreb
- 1976 European Football Championship (venues Zagreb and Belgrade)
- 1979 Mediterranean Games in Split
- 1981 European Swimming Championships in Split
- 1987 Universiade in Zagreb
- 1989 European men's basketball championship
- 1990 European Athletics Championships in Split
- 1990 World motorcycle championship in the Grobnik Automotodrom near Rijeka
- 2003 Handball World Championship Women
- 2005 European Women's Volleyball Championship in Zagreb and Pula
- 2007 World Table Tennis Championships in singles in Zagreb
- 2009 Men's Handball World Championship in the cities of Zagreb, Split, Osijek, Varaždin, Zadar and Poreč
- 2010 IAAF Athletics World Cup in Split
- 2013 European Figure Skating Championships in Zagreb