The Croatian handballers were among the male and female players honoured for contributing to the development of this sport and leaving an indelible mark in the handball world.
Ivano Balić played for CO Zagreb from 2008 to 2012. He also wore the jerseys of Split, Metković, Portland San Antonio, Atletico Madrid and Wetzlar. He won a number of medals with the Croatian national team, including gold medals at the World Championships in Portugal in 2003 and the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.
Irfan Smajlagić played for the national team from 1992 to 2000. He played for Croatian clubs Medveščak, Badel 1862 Zagreb and Zamet, as well as for Nimes and Bordeaux in France. Smajlagić played for the national team when they won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 and a silver medal at the World Championships in 1995.
Jelena Grubišić was a goalkeeper for Lokomotiva Zagreb from 2002 to 2009, after which she kept the goal for Krim Ljubljana, Hungarian club Gyori and CSM Bucharest.