The Croatian Olympic Committee have held their annual awards ceremony on the Great Day of Croatian Sport ©COC

The Croatian Olympic Committee (COC) held its annual Great Day of Croatian Sport to celebrate the achievements of the nation's athletes over the past 12 months.

The event, which was hosted by COC President Zlatko Mateša and secretary general Josip Čop, saw awards handed out including best male and best female athlete.

It was attended by the Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Winning the best female athlete award was Olympic champion discus thrower Sandra Perković, who claimed the title for the seventh time to become the most successful athlete in the award's history.

She won the prize after claiming victory at both the European Championships and Mediterranean Games earlier this year as well as winning the overall International Association of Athletics Federations Diamond League title.

Footballer Luka Modric won the men's athlete of the year award ©Getty Images
Footballer Luka Modric won the men's athlete of the year award ©Getty Images

The men's award went to Real Madrid footballer Luka Modric, who captained Croatia to the FIFA World Cup final in Russia before winning the 2018 FIFA Best Men's Player award and the Ballon D’Or.

That World Cup performance, where Croatia lost the final 4-2 to France, also saw the whole Croatian team win the COC's men's team of the year award, while their manager Zlatko Dalić claimed coach of the year.

The women's team award went to the karate side of Ana Marija Bujas Čelan, Marina Barac, Ana Lenard and Alessandra Hasani, who won bronze at the European Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia.

BMX rider Marin Ranteš took home the fair play award for giving a wheel from his bike to a rival during the World Cup in Canada, while the trophy for demonstrating "Olympism in action" went to COC vice-president Morana Paliković Gruden for her "perseverance" in the fight for equal status for women in sport.

In a speech given during the ceremony, Mateša described 2018 as a "year of dreams", claiming almost every national federation achieved something great.