Sportske novosti awards () refer to annual sports awards given by Sportske novosti, a Croatian sports newspaper based in Zagreb. The awards originated in the early 1950s and went on to become one of the most prestigious Croatian sports awards. The winners are decided by polling sports journalists from around the country.
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.
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 à  urbek (five wins in 1968âÂÂ83), tennis star and Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanià ¡evià(five wins in 1992âÂÂ2001), and alpine skier Ivica Kostelià(five wins in 2002âÂÂ11). Other notable multiple winners include tennis player Nikola Pilià(three wins in 1962âÂÂ67), boxer Mate Parlov (three wins in 1971âÂÂ73), basketball player and three-time NBA champion Toni Kukoà(1989âÂÂ91), and the Olympic gymnast Tin Srbià(four wins in 2017âÂÂ23).
In the women's category, the all-time record holder is discus thrower Sandra Perkoviàwith nine wins (2012âÂÂ22), followed by alpine skier Janica Kosteliàwith eight (1998âÂÂ2006), and high jumper Blanka Vlaà ¡iàwith six (2004âÂÂ11). Other notable multiple winners include tennis player and Roland Garros winner Iva Majoli (four wins in 1994âÂÂ97), Olympic sports shooter Jasna à  ekarià(four wins in 1986âÂÂ89), bowling champion Biserka Perman (three wins in 1982âÂÂ92) and sprinter Milka Babovià(three wins in 1952âÂÂ55).
In the Yugoslav era, multiple winners of the national award include long-distance runner Franjo Mihalià(three wins in 1952âÂÂ57), Slovenian gymnast Miroslav Cerar (eight wins in 1961âÂÂ70), Serbian middle-distance runner Vera Nikolià(four wins in 1966âÂÂ72), and Slovenian skiers Bojan Krià ¾aj (three wins in 1979âÂÂ87) and Mateja Svet (three wins in 1986âÂÂ89).
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 (1973âÂÂ84), the men's water polo team with three (1968âÂÂ88) and the women's basketball team (three wins in 1987âÂÂ90).
This table lists the total number of awards for individual sportsmen and sportswomen by recipients' sporting profession.