Sport, apart from possessing ethical, aesthetic, moral and health attributes, also undoubtedly has an ambassadorial role in any community. International co-operation through sports competitions and organisational association, as well as the excellent results of sportsmen, lift the standing of the community that is represented.

Croatian sport enjoys international prestige and respect thanks largely to a series of sporting achievements dating back to earlier years, but also to the smooth blending of Croatia into the World Olympic movement as an independent community. Sportsmen like Dražen Petrović, the first recognised Croatian basketball player to play in the NBA and to whom a monument was erected in the park of the Olympic museum in Lausanne, in recognition of his contribution to the Olympic movement, and other recognised names of Croatian sport remain a constant impetus to sport and the community.

With the founding of the Croatian Olympic Committee (COC) in 1991, the highest national sporting body, the conditions were set for the notable progress of the Croatian Olympic movement. The first steps were taken only 22 days after recognition, with an initiative to compete at the winter Olympics in Albertville in 1992. That same year at the Olympic Games in Barcelona, the Croatian basketball team won the silver medal, whilst Goran Ivanišević, Wimbledon champion in 2001, won 2 bronze medals (in singles and in doubles with Goran Prpić).

The historical turning point for Croatian alpine skiing was definitely the winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002. Up until then, Croatian representatives had never taken a medal at winter Olympic Games. Four Olympic medals to Janica Kostelić, three gold and one silver, united the world sporting community in recognising the great potential of Croatian sport.

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).

Croatian medals at the Olympic Games 1992-2004
Handball (Atlanta 1996) 1. Patrik Ćavar 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) Nikolaj Pešalov Alpine skiing (Salt Lake City 2002.) Slalom Janica Kostelić Giant Slalom Janica Kostelić Combined (Downhill & Slalom) Janica Kostelić Handball (Athens 2004) 1. Ivano Balić 2. Davor Dominiković 3. Mirza Džomba 4. Slavko Goluža 5. Nikša Kaleb 6. Blaženko Lacković 7. Venio Losert 8. Valter Matošević 9. Petar Metličić 10. Vlado Šola 11. Denis Špoljarić 12. Goran Šprem 13. Igor Vori 14. Drago Vuković 15. Vedran Zrnić	Basketball (Barcelona 1992) 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.) Super-G Janica Kostelić Swimming (Athens 2004) 50m free style Duje Draganja Rowing (Athens 2004) Men's coxless pair 1. Siniša Skelin 2. Nikša Skelin	Tennis - singles (Barcelona 1992) Goran Ivanišević Tennis-doubles (Barcelona 1992) 1. Goran Ivanišević 2. Goran Prpić Rowing - Men's eights (Sydney 2000) 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 Tennis (Athens 2004) Pairs 1. Mario Ančić 2. Ivan Ljubičić Weight-lifting (Athens 2004) -69 kg Nikolaj Pešalov

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.