The big day for the HOO started at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb with a grand applause for table tennis player Sandra Paolović. who returned home after recuperating from a serious accident and attended the ceremony. An especially emotional moment came as Sandra's teammates, who won European bronze, dedicated their win to her.

For the second year in a row, Blanka Vlašić won the award for top Croatia female athlete. Although it was her second win, she admittedly took home this year's award with special zest.

"Last year after the Beijing games, I wasn't feeling all that good when I went to pick up this award. Now, I feel like have earned this, I'm relishing and hope I can have another year as successful as this one was", said the world high-jump champion Vlašić.

Ivan Kljaković-Gašpić won the top athlete award for the first time, and the Split-born sailor won the European gold and world bronze in the Olympic finn class.

Winners of the HOO Matija Ljubek award, which bears the name of the famous Croatian canoeist, went to basketball coach Boris Sinković, handball referee and instructor Lujo Gjoeri, football referee and retired Supreme Court Justice Stanko Hautz, and to the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb and the Borovo boxing club of Vukovar. Croatia's top anti-doping authority Božidar Fučkar received the International Olympic Committee award, while former ATP Umag director Slavko Rasberger was given special recognition for promoting sports.

The HOO mention for sports endeavor of the year went to the Croatian women's expedition to Mount Everest.

Croatia's top sports hopes lie with European junior discus champion Sandra Perković and to European junior boxing champ Dino Mansour. The award for coach of the year went to Blanka Vlašić's coaching team - her father Joško Vlašić and Bojan Marinović.