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The Spring of Competitiveness Croatian sporting history is a rich one, with the first registered rowing competition being held as early as 1603. The first organized sports society dates back to 1784 when the Civil Shooting Troop was founded in Osijek. The first evidenced modern athletic competition in Croatia took place in 1832. Although a part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire at the time, there was a strong movement to make Croatia a member of the International Olympic Committee. Due to its unfortunate association with and within other states, Croatia was never able to individually become an official part of the Olympic movement until it gained its independence in 1991. However, the Croatian Sokol, a movement focused on general education, national and political awareness aimed at preserving Croatian identity against the increasing German and Hungarian tendencies of denationalization, became member of the International Gymnastics Federation in 1907. Croatian athletes competed under various flags, winning at various international, European and World championships, and at the Olympic games. Croatia's presence in American sports today has a unique feature. No other city outside of the United States is represented in the National Basketball Association by more players than the city of Split, Croatia. Three players from the same team, which won the European Champions Cup (three times), play significant roles for their NBA teams: Tony Kukoc plays for the Chicago Bulls, Dino Radja for the Boston Celtics, and Zan Tabak for the Toronto Raptors. Less than two hours drive north from Split is Zadar, which produced another current nba player and European Champions Cup winner, Stojko Vrankovic, a center for the Minnesota Timberwolves. All these players were members of the Croatian national basketball team that won the Olympic silver medal in 1992, second only to the "Dream Team". Their current success follows the path established by the late Kresimir Cosic, the third European player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and by the late Drazen Petrovic, whose climb to the very top of NBA stardom was prevented by his premature and tragic death. Not surprisingly, Cosic played for Zadar, and Petrovic was raised and started his stellar career in Sibenik, the latter only an hour's drive from Split. There must be something in the water . . . Kresimir Cosic, whose memory lives so vividly at the Croatian Embassy in Washington where he served until his early death as Minister Counselor, was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in May of 1996. This event reaffirmed his stature as one of Europe's best players, his skills being so finely developed to attract serious offers from several NBA teams. Beside Kresimir Cosic, there are other members of the Hall of Fame that Croatia claims as its own, including George Mikan and "Pistol" Pete Maravich who were of Croatian origin, as are probable future Hall-of-Famers, former player and Houston Rockets' coach and two times NBA champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich and Boston Celtics' great, Kevin McHalle. Beside basketball, Croatians star in other sports popular in the United States. Prominent Croatian athletes include Stanley Cup winner and MVP Joe Sakic from the Colorado Avalanche, NFL quarterback Elvis Grbac from the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers' Tony Mandarich, and Chicago Bears' Chris Zorich, just to name the few. America's favorite pastime, baseball, also witnessed a significant contribution to its success by players that have their roots in Croatia. The Cleveland Indians had an outstanding pitcher in Al Milnar, Roger Maris became famous for his home runs, etc. Some of the players that came from Croatia'or their ancestors'changed their names upon arriving, adjusting them to English language spelling. That is the reason that some of them were not known to the wider audience as Croats or as of Croatian decent, but stories about them and their successes live among the Croatian American community. After a string of well-known Croatian tennis players, today Goran Ivanisevic and Iva Majoli, rank consistently among the best five in the world on the respective ATP men and women rankings. They proudly represent and promote Croatia and its rich tradition in this popular sport. What connected the rest of the sports world with the United States the most in 1996 were undoubtedly the Centennial Olympic Games held in Atlanta. This celebration of sports and youth gave Croatia the first gold medal won under its own flag. The national handball team continued the string of successes, both by the national and individual teams, establishing Croatia's prominence in handball. The team's gold medal became a historic achievement for Croatia and Croatian sports, bringing joy and unforgettable celebration to the entire country. Croatian citizens closely followed the games, expecting the realization of a dream to bring the gold to Croatia. The water polo team won the silver medal, entering successfully the Olympic scene after not being able to compete at the Barcelona Games. These two medals again proved that team sports are Croatia's strength, a fact that becomes even more intriguing when compared to the size of the pool out of which Croatian athletes are selected. |
