Historic achievement for Croatian cheerleading: Croatia at World Games 2025
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
(Photo: Lampson Yip/Clicks Images/Hrvatski Cheerleading Savez)
Croatia is set to make history at The World Games 2025 as cheerleaders Dorotea Paladin and Rita Miletić from Cheerleading Club Noa have officially secured their place at the prestigious multi-sport event.
The Games will be held from 7–17 August 2025 in Chengdu, China, with the Pom Doubles competition—featuring Croatia’s representatives—taking place on 15 and 16 August.
This marks the very first time that cheerleading has been included in the programme of The World Games.
Dorotea and Rita’s qualification not only earns them a place among the world’s elite in the Pom Doubles discipline, but also crowns them as the first-ever Croatian representatives in cheerleading at this global event—and among the first in the sport’s history to take part.
The competition in Chengdu will bring together the top 10 Pom Doubles pairs from across the globe, including teams from Japan, Mexico, the USA, Australia, Ecuador, England, Ukraine, Finland, China—and now, Croatia.
(Photo: Lampson Yip/Clicks Images/Hrvatski Cheerleading Savez)
Years of Dedication Behind Historic Milestone
This outstanding achievement is the result of years of tireless work, dedication, and passion shown by Dorotea and Rita, their supportive coaching team, Cheerleading Club Noa, and the entire Croatian Cheerleading Federation.
Over the past two years, Dorotea and Rita have firmly established themselves among the world’s best in the Pom Doubles category.
(Photo: Lampson Yip/Clicks Images/Hrvatski Cheerleading Savez)
In 2024, they captured gold at the European Cheer League stages in Estonia, Hungary, and Serbia, silver at both the European Championship in Norway and the International Cheerleading Cup in the USA, and earned a remarkable 7th place at the ICU World Championships.
At the TWG Series event in Hong Kong in October 2024, they finished 6th—just shy of direct qualification—but solidified their standing as serious contenders.
(Photo: Lampson Yip/Clicks Images/Hrvatski Cheerleading Savez)
In 2025, their strong performances continued. They clinched gold at the European Cheer League in the Czech Republic, placed 8th out of 33 pairs at the ICU World Championships, and took 4th place at the International Cheerleading Cup in the USA. Their place at The World Games was ultimately secured through a video qualification round, where they ranked first among 27 competing pairs.
Flying the Flag for Croatia and “Smaller” Sports
This qualification is more than just a sporting milestone—it is a turning point for Croatian cheerleading. It confirms that with structured work, passion, and persistence, Croatian athletes can compete with the very best on the world stage.
(Photo: Lampson Yip/Clicks Images/Hrvatski Cheerleading Savez)
The World Games, held every four years under the International World Games Association (IWGA), are designed for sports not included in the Olympic Games. The event features over 35 sports and thousands of athletes from more than 100 countries.
Cheerleading has grown into a truly global sport, with over 120 national federations and 4.5 million registered athletes. The Croatian Cheerleading Federation has been a member of the International Cheer Union since its founding in 2008, and has been recognised by the Croatian Olympic Committee since 2015.
(Photo: Lampson Yip/Clicks Images/Hrvatski Cheerleading Savez)
Dorotea and Rita’s success is not only a reflection of talent and hard work, but a symbol of what is possible when small sports dare to dream big.
As they prepare to represent Croatia on one of the biggest international stages, we invite you to follow, support, and cheer them on—because they’re not just representing a nation, but every “small” sport with grand ambitions.
