Slovene Attitude Towards Sports


The Slovenes love doing various sports activities as well as watching and cheering for their athletes. While living in Slovenia, the country has revealed itself to me as a country of picturesque nature, which urges people to be outgoing and healthy, and at the core of this attitude is sport. It’s almost impossible to count all the sports Slovenes like and the sports they take part in. For that reason, I will simply highlight some of the most popular ones.
Slovenian athletes and teams take part in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, Ice Hockey World championships, FIFA World Cup and various other competitions. Over the years, Slovenia has been highly successful in competing in the Olympic Games. In 2014 Sochi Olympics, Slovenia was placed second in the list of most medals won per capita, right after Norway. It won 8 medals in the following sports: cross country sprint, downhill and giant slalom skiing, normal hill and large ski jumping, biathlon, 10 km pursuit, giant slalom and slalom snowboarding. It also ranked in 7th place in ice hockey, 5th place in men ski jumping, 6th in ski jumping normal hill and freestyle skiing. It is not a surprise that winter sports are very popular, due to the proximity of Slovenian part of the Alps where there are many great ski slopes.
One of the most popular places where Slovene sportsman train and watch ski jumps is the alpine valley Planica, which hosts big international competitions. Slovenes have set 5 world records in Planica, the most recent one being set in 2015 by Jurij Tepeš. In the recent years, the place has been undergoing different renovations to make it one of the biggest ski jumping hills in the world again, as it already was back in the 1930s.
Another highly popular place for winter sport competitions is Mariborsko Pohorje. There, one of the internationally recognized largest sporting events in Slovenia, FIS Ski World Cup for Women Zlata Lisica (Golden Fox), is held annually at the end of January or early February.
In Kranjska gora, Vitranc Cup is held in early March, which is the most popular ski jumping competition for men. This particular sport requires professional training and thus it is performed only by professionals. It’s always astonishing to see professional performances on such a high level.
When talking about winter sports and Slovenia, one must mention supposedly the best Slovenian sportswoman, Tina Maze. She has won 22 World Cup races and is the best current alpine skier in Slovenia. Her recent top achievement are two gold medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics and surely her skiing carrier is not stopping there. Evidence of her popularity can be found in many advertisements for various products like Milka chocolate, jewellery company Zlatarna Celje, herbal wellness tea Teekanne.
Apart from winter sports, Slovenians love to (successfully) engage in and watch other types of team and individual sports as well. A lot of people watch soccer, and in 2002 and 2010 when Slovenia national football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup, there was reportedly a real ‘soccer mania’. The most exciting matches for Slovenes are played between NK Olimpija (Ljubljana) and NK Maribor, the biggest rivals. You can also see amateurs playing football on grass surfaces, open playgrounds or parks.
Slovenia also has some good and popular handball teams. Moreover, the country has a rather good national team. , which won the 2nd place in 2004 and 3rd place in 2015 in the European Men’s Handball Championship, and the 4th place at World Men’s Handball Championship in 2013.
Furthermore, basketball is also rather popular. The biggest achievement of the Slovenian national team is 6th place in the EuroBasket 2005, thus qualifying for Basketball World Championship 2006. Slovenia has hosted Eurobasket 2013. Slovenia has also NBA & ABA players like Primoz Brezec, Goran and Zoran Dragic, Marko Milic and others.
Athletics, cycling and tennis are among the most popular individual sports.
Slovene athletes have succeeded in different athletic disciplines such as relay, running, hurdle races hammer throw, long and triple jump, javelin throw and others. Also, there is quite a large number of amateur runners in Slovenia, so it’s common to spot runners in the streets, parks and stadiums, whether it’s early morning or evening.
Among Slovenes, there are also many cycling enthusiasts. Slovenia has countless websites with detailed descriptions of mountain and special biking routes. A lot of cyclists, professionals as well as amateurs, can be spotted almost throughout the year. There’s a strong tradition of Slovenes spending their weekends or holidays in nature, which is probably why there are so much hikers and cyclists. A lot of Slovenes choose to go cycling or hiking with the whole family. Hiking and biking is not a surprising choice because mountains cover around 70% of the country’s landscape. If a person is really taken away by the sport, he or she may even decide to do it on a more professional level. You can spot a lot of cyclists almost everywhere – around Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, Logarska dolina and even in the centre of Ljubljana. Cycling and hiking are so much interwoven in the Slovene mind-set that even Slovenia’s pavilion at the World Exposition Expo Milano 2015 aimed to promote Slovene hiking and cycling trails in the picturesque landscape.
Slovenian climate is also favourable for playing tennis. Slovenia has lot of different tennis courts with different surfaces. During the winter season, inflatable tents and heated tennis courts are accessible.
To conclude, Slovenes are close to sports. The nature and climate are very favourable for outdoor activities. Furthermore, there are also outdoor and indoor sports halls and playgrounds. Many Slovenes consider sports as a hobby, but in some cases people take it to the professional level. There is also lots of Slovenes that don’t have a favourite sport, but they are up for watching any kind of sport, including sports where Slovenes are not taking part like F1.
Sport for Slovenes doesn’t have an age or time limit. It is a healthy habit that has a good impact on the health of people and it also increases Slovenia’s recognition over the boarders. In the upcoming years, it will be even more likely that Slovenes will surprise us with the results their professional athletes produce and we’ll be here to witness it.

References:

References:
About Me (Accessed: http://www.tinamaze.com/)
8 medals in total for Slovenia at Winder Olympic Games in Sochi (Accessed: http://www.e-slovenie.com/2913-medals-slovenia-sochi/)
Beach Tennis History (Accessed: http://www.beachtennis.si/history/)
Category: Olympic tennis players of Slovenia (Accessed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Olympic_tennis_players_of_Slovenia)
Cycling (Accessed: http://www.slovenia.info/?kolesarjenje=0
List of names in Mountain bike cycling category (Accessed: http://themeaningofthename.com/category/system/sport/mountain-bike-cycling/page/8/)
Maribor vs Olimpija Match Preview with Head to Head Stats and Past Results (Accessed: http://www.soccerpunter.com/soccer-statistics/Slovenia/Cup-2012-2013/head_to_head_statistics/all/2001_NK_Maribor/2000_NK_Olimpija_Ljubljana)
Popular Annual Events (Accessed: http://thinkslovenia.com/slovenia-calendar/#.VdrELiS2imQ)
Planica: (Accessed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planica)Planica winners (Accessed: http://www.planica.si/Results/Planica-winners)
Slovenia at Expo as destination of hiking and cycling (Accessed: http://www.exposlovenia.si/en/2145320/slovenia-at-expo-as-destination-of-hiking-and-cycling)
Slovenia Qualify for Volleyball World League (Accessed: http://www.sloveniatimes.com/slovenia-qualify-for-volleyball-world-league)
Slovenian records in athletics (Accessed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenian_records_in_athletics)
Slovenia National Handball Team (Accessed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenia_national_handball_team)
Slovenia National Basketball Team (Accessed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenia_national_basketball_team)
Standings (Accessed: http://www.handball2015.en.beinsports.net/team/slovenia)
Sport in Slovenia (Accessed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Slovenia)
Tennis (Accessed: http://www.slovenia.info/?drugi_sporti=6366&lng=2)
Kayaker Kauzer Wins World Cup (Accessed: http://www.sloveniatimes.com/kayaker-kauzer-wins-world-cup)

23rd Eurofest (Source: http://eurofest.si/en/a/3/programme.html)

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