croatia

S P O R T S
Probably the earliest known description of a sporting event in
GENERAL Croatia is from the 18 INFORMATION
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CROATIAN SPECIALTIES
th century (1764). It referred to the regatta of
two fishing boats representing the cities of Split and Makarska, from an islet near Milna on the island of BraË
to the Split harbour. It was the boat from Makarska that triumphed!
The first international football match in which Croatia participated with its national team was held in 1907
(with the Czech Republic). The Croatian Sporting Union was founded in Zagreb in 1909. In 1911, the Croatian
national team participated under its flag in a European championship in Torino. In 1912, Franjo Gregl was the
European champion in cycling.
Franjo MihaliÊ (1921) started his active sporting career in the period of the Independent State of Croatia
(1941-1945), and after 1945 had to move to Belgrade, together with many other great Croatian athletes. He
won a silver medal in the Marathon at the Olympic Games in Melbourne (1956); he was the winner of the
International races in Sao Paulo (1952, 1954), as well as Marathon Races in Tokyo, Moscow, Boston, Athens
and Cross de Nations in Paris (1950-1961).
Among the most outstanding Croatian sportsmen were Dragutin ©urbek (table tennis), who won hundreds of
tournaments, from Tokyo and Beijing to Zagreb, and light heavyweight boxer Mate Parlov (also a professional
light heavyweight European champion in 1979).
–urappleica Bjedov won the Olympic gold medal in swimming (Mexico, 1968).
Ivo Prebeg, a professional light heavyweight boxer, was the European champion in 1969., Marijan Beneπ was
professional European boxing champion in 1979 (welter weight category).
Æeljko MavroviÊ is currently (since March 1995) European heavy-weight boxing champion.
The European karate champion in the absolute category for 1995 is Enver Idrizi, also ex-world champion
(1994). A worldwide reputation in Thai boxing distinguishes Branko CikatiÊ from Split, winner of many inter-
national tournaments, including the grand 1994 Tokyo tournament. Matija Ljubek has won several olympic
medals in kayak.
With regard to team sports, basketball is very popular. The best known players are:
• Kreπimir ∆osiÊ (1948-1995; he spent the last years of his life in the USA as a Croatian diplomat) became only
the third international player ever elected to the world’s Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield,
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