 The
cult of athletic competitions has always been nurtured in Montenegro. The assessment of
one's skill, strength and agility was the favorite pastime of the Montenegrin youths ever
since the old times. The ethnographic evidence abounds in information about the popularity
of the bacanje kamena s ramena (putting stone shot), wrestling and sword fighting.
At the end of 19th century, tennis, football and golf were played in Montenegro, and no
less popular were skating, skiing, fencing, cycling and equestrianism. And early 20th
century saw the founding of the first clubs in these sports. In 1908 Montenegro received
the official invitation from the English king Edward VII to take part in the Olympics in
London, but since it was not the member of the International Olympic Committee it could
not participate.Today, sport in Montenegro is not only the favorite national pastime
but also a significant social activity; in more than 650 sport clubs around 35,000
athletes train or compete permanently or occasionally. Montenegro produced many top
sportsmen - winners of medals in the Olympic games, or in European, world and other great
international competitions. The European and world sports publics are well acquainted with
the achievements of football players  Dejan Savicevic, Predrag Mijatovic, Dragoje
Lekovic, Ljubomir Radanovic, Ivica Kralj; basketball players Zarko Paspalj, Dusko
Ivanovic, Radovan Radovanovic, Rajko Zizic, Vlado Scepanovic, Nikola Bulatovic; wolleyball
players Miodrag Gvozdenovic, Goran Vujevic, Vladimir Batez, Igor Vusurovic; handball
players Veselin Vujovic, Pero Milosevic Blazo Lisicic, Petar Kapisoda; female handballers
Olga Pejovic, Ljiljana and Svetlana Mugosa, Dragana Pesic Maja Bulatovic; waterpolo
players Dragan Stanisic, Trifun Cirkovic, the Vicevic brothers, Zoran Gopcevic, Andrija
Popovic, Veljko Uskokovic; boxer Miodrag Perunovic; judist Dragomir Becanovic; karatists
Bato Ognjenovic and Samir Usenagic; parachutist Petar Dedic; chess player Bozidar
Ivanovic, and many others.
The clubs themselves achieve noted results in Yugoslav and European competitions. The
most successful ones are: men's basketball and women's handball clubs Buducnost,
Podgorica; men's handball club Lovcen, Cetinje; volleyball clubs Buducnost-Podgoricka
banka, Podgorica, and Budvanska rivijera, Budva; judo club Akademik,
Niksic; karate club Buducnost, Podgorica; football club Buducnost,
Podgorica...
Montenegro hosted the European championships in target shooting and karate.  Today in Montenegro various sports events are organised that have become
traditional with the international participation: "Along the paths of King
Nikola" - the cycling road race; the international "Pro beach soccer tour";
women's volleyball tournament "Port cup"; the hillside car race
"Lovcen"; waterpolo tournament "The Trophy of the Mediterranean";
"Podgorica Marathon".
Montenegro submitted its candidature for the organisation of "Mediterranean
games". Football stadiums in Podgorica, Berane, Cetinje, Niksic, Budva and Tivat
satisfy the high world standards, and so do the swimming/waterpolo pools in Kotor and
Herceg-Novi, numerous tennis courts built beside the hotels and other tourist facilities.
Moreover, large sport arenas are under construction in Herceg Novi, Pljevlja and Kolasin,
together with the Olympic-size pools in Niksic and Budva; excellent sports halls already
exist in Podgorica, Niksic, Budva and Tivat.
The system of sports development in Montenegro is realized on the
premises and experiences of the developed European countries and the Charter of the
International Olympic Committee.
The Ministry of Sports of the Montenegrin Government was founded in 1993. |
