Sportske novosti awards

History

Sportske novosti ("Sports News"; sometimes referred to by initials SN) is a Croatian sports daily established in 1945 and based in Zagreb. It first began awarding the Sportsman of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year awards in 1950, honoring greatest achievements in Yugoslav sports. The award, one of several Yugoslav national-level sporting honors, was given every year for the next four decades, until 1990, when it was discontinued due to the breakup of Yugoslavia and Croatia's independence.

Before independence, in 1952 the newspaper had launched a parallel award for Croatian athletes, which honored best sporting achievements by any athlete hailing from SR Croatia, then a republic within Yugoslavia. After Croatia's independence in 1991 the Yugoslav category was discontinued, while the Croatian category continued to the present day. In 1966 a separate Best Yugoslav Sports Team was introduced, for achievements in team sports, and in 1973 the award was split into separate categories for men's and women's teams.

Since inception, all awards are selected through a poll of sports journalists from around the country who are members of the Croatian Association of Sports Journalists (Hrvatski zbor sportskih novinara, HZSN), the national professional association for sports writers established in 1949.

Winners

Award winners in all categories are collectively referred to as the "Golden Roll" (Zlatna lista), and the winners for the preceding year are usually announced in early January. Since SN remains the only specialized sports daily in the country, the prize is regarded as one of the two most prestigious sports awards in Croatia, on par with the annual awards handed out by the Croatian Olympic Committee.

Among men, winners with most individual Croatian awards include the table tennis player Dragutin Šurbek (five wins in 1968–83), tennis star and Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanišević (five wins in 1992–2001), and alpine skier Ivica Kostelić (five wins in 2002–11). Other notable multiple winners include tennis player Nikola Pilić (three wins in 1962–67), boxer Mate Parlov (three wins in 1971–73), basketball player and three-time NBA champion Toni Kukoč (1989–91), and the Olympic gymnast Tin Srbić (four wins in 2017–23).

In the women's category, the all-time record holder is discus thrower Sandra Perković with nine wins (2012–22), followed by alpine skier Janica Kostelić with eight (1998–2006), and high jumper Blanka Vlašić with six (2004–11). Other notable multiple winners include tennis player and Roland Garros winner Iva Majoli (four wins in 1994–97), Olympic sports shooter Jasna Šekarić (four wins in 1986–89), bowling champion Biserka Perman (three wins in 1982–92) and sprinter Milka Babović (three wins in 1952–55).

In the Yugoslav era, multiple winners of the national award include long-distance runner Franjo Mihalić (three wins in 1952–57), Slovenian gymnast Miroslav Cerar (eight wins in 1961–70), Serbian middle-distance runner Vera Nikolić (four wins in 1966–72), and Slovenian skiers Bojan Križaj (three wins in 1979–87) and Mateja Svet (three wins in 1986–89).

In team sports, the Yugoslavia men's national basketball team holds the record for most wins, with 13 awards won from 1966 to 1990, followed by the women's handball team with four (1973–84), the men's water polo team with three (1968–88) and the women's basketball team (three wins in 1987–90).

Athlete of the Year

Yugoslav competition (1950–1990)

:

Croatian competition (1952–present)

Sportsman of the Year

Sportswoman of the Year

;By sport This table lists the total number of awards for individual sportsmen and sportswomen by recipients' sporting profession.

Team of the Year

1966–1990

1990–present

References

• Award winners

References

1. (2010-12-26). "59. Izbor Sportskih novosti - Blanka i Ivica bez premca". [[Večernji list]].