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Sports in Montenegro

Olympedia files Montenegro as MNE, with one Olympic medal, a women's handball silver in 2012, and dates the IOC's decision on Montenegro, taken at the IOC Session in Guatemala, to 6 July 2007.
✓ Last reviewed: September 2026
Official nameNo distinct long form. Article 1 of the Constitution of 2007, as amended to 2013, in the Constitute Project's English text: “Montenegro is an independent and sovereign state, with the republican form of government.”
NOC codeMNE, as Olympedia files the country; the IOC's own list of codes could not be retrieved
National Olympic CommitteeCrnogorski olimpijski komitet (COK), under its statute of 14 March 2019 with amendments of 7 October 2019; Olympedia's organisation entry gives “Founded: 2007”
IOC recognition6 July 2007, at the IOC Session in Guatemala, per Olympedia, whose narrative words it as Montenegro being “elected into the International Olympic Committee”
Earlier Olympedia codesYUG (1920 to 1992 Winter), IOA (1992 Summer, designated Independent Olympic Participants) and SCG (1996 to 2006); none of their rows is counted as Montenegro's
Olympic medals (MNE rows)Olympedia prints no totals row. Its only MNE medal row is the 2012 Summer Olympics, 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze, in handball.
Sports lawZakon o sportu, “Sl.list CG”, broj 44/2018 i 123/21, as the Government's e-services portal cites it (updated 26 April 2024)
Football associationFudbalski savez Crne Gore (FSCG): UEFA member from 26 January 2007 and FIFA member from 29 May 2007, per UEFA

What sports are played in Montenegro?

The Ministry of Sport and Youth (Ministarstvo sporta i mladih) publishes on the Government portal a list of the web addresses of national sports federations. The page carries no date and prints no total. Its alphabetical list runs from the athletics federation, Atletski savez Crne Gore, to the water polo and swimming federation, Vaterpolo i plivački savez Crne Gore, and includes federations for football, basketball, handball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, judo, karate, taekwondo, boxing, kickboxing, shooting, sailing, cycling, gymnastics, skiing and chess. It also lists a schools sport federation and a students' sport federation, which §9 covers.[1]

Olympedia's edition results list Montenegrin entries in alpine skiing at every Winter Games from 2010 to 2026, and in cross-country skiing in 2018, 2022 and 2026.[2][34] Its per-sport medal table carries one row, in handball, as §5 sets out.[2]

Basketball's top clubs play in a competition organised across the border. The ABA League's site, run by ABA Liga j.t.d., lists two Montenegrin clubs, Budućnost VOLI and SC Derby, for the 2026/27 season.[3] In water polo, the public broadcaster RTCG listed a match between Primorac and Budva on 23 September 2026 as the opening of the season, and listed it for broadcast on its second television channel.[4] Football's national competitions are run by the national federation, as §4 sets out.[5]

What is the most popular spectator sport in Montenegro?

No season attendance total for a Montenegrin league was retrieved from a league or federation source, and the measurement of broadcast audiences is itself unsettled. A study dated October 2025 by Stanislav Bender and Robert Tomljenović, prepared with the organisational support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and published on the website of the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services (Agencija za audiovizuelne medijske usluge, AMU), states: “Zasada u Crnoj Gori ne postoji usuglašen i industrijski općeprihvaćen jedinstveni sustav mjerenja gledanosti/slušanosti medija.” The same study records a joint Ipsos and Crnogorski Telekom measurement of television viewing, running since 2014.[6] No sport audience figure from that measurement was retrieved.

The proxies that can be reported are carriage and medals. On 23 September 2026 RTCG's sport section was divided into football, basketball, water polo, handball, tennis, volleyball and other sports, and listed the Primorac–Budva water polo match on TVCG 2 at 18:00.[4] The online portal CdM divides its sport section into football, basketball, handball, tennis, water polo and other sports.[7] The daily Dan's sport section is divided into football, basketball, tennis and other sports; on the same day it carried football, basketball, water polo, handball, kickboxing, chess and tennis items.[8]

On Olympedia's tables handball is the only sport with a medal row for Montenegro.[2] Football, basketball, water polo and handball each have a claim on these proxies, and none of them is a measured audience.

How is sport organised in Montenegro?

The state. Montenegro's Constitution of 2007, as amended to 2013, uses no long form of the name; in the English text on the Constitute Project, Article 1 reads: “Montenegro is an independent and sovereign state, with the republican form of government.”[9]

The statute. The Law on Sport is the Zakon o sportu. The Government's e-services portal, updated 26 April 2024, lists among the regulations relevant to entry in the register of sports organisations and approval of their statutes “Član 52 Zakona o sportu („Sl.list CG“, broj 44/2018 i 123/21)”.[10] The Ministry of Sport and Youth's proposal of a sport development strategy for 2024–2028, dated June 2024, cites the Law with the same two gazette numbers and quotes its Article 2: “Sport predstavljaju svi oblici fizičke i mentalne aktivnosti koji, kroz neorganizovano ili organizovano učešće, imaju za cilj izražavanje ili poboljšavanje fizičke i mentalne spremnosti ili postizanje rezultata na takmičenjima svih nivoa”. That is the proposal's quotation of the Law.[11] The Government portal posted the Law on 16 July 2018; its downloadable file could not be read on retrieval, and the Official Gazette's page for the Law returned an error. No consolidated text could be obtained, and no article is quoted from the Law's own text.[12] This page could not establish whether any amendment later than 123/21 is in force.

The ministry and the register. The Ministry of Sport and Youth keeps the register of sports organisations. Its report for 2019, dated 20 March 2020, cites the Law as “Sl. list CG”, br. 44/18 and records 120 requests to found sports organisations in 2019, of which 71 were approved and 21 rejected.[13] The Government's page on national federations states: “Nacionalni sportski savez može da osnuje najmanje pet sportskih klubova iste vrste sporta sa područja najmanje tri opštine u Crnoj Gori.”[14]

The National Olympic Committee. The Crnogorski olimpijski komitet (COK) publishes its statute of 14 March 2019, with amendments of 7 October 2019. In its English text, Article 2 reads: “The MOC is a non-governmental, non-political, and non-profit sports organization, independent in its work and activities, within and through which the national and international sports interests of Montenegro are realized as the national Olympic committee of Montenegro.” Article 9 opens: “The MOC has the exclusive right to represent Montenegro at the Olympic Games, regional, continental, or world multi-sport competitions under the patronage of the IOC.” The Preamble states that it is recognised by the Law on Sports and by the International Olympic Committee.[15] The Government's own page reads: “COK je krovna asocijacija sporta u Crnoj Gori.” It describes the Paralympic Committee, POK, as “asocijacija sportskih organizacija lica sa invaliditetom”.[16][17]

Founded and recognised. Olympedia's organisation entry for the COK gives “Founded: 2007” and “Recognized by the IOC: 2007”.[18] Its country narrative gives the recognition as a dated decision: Montenegro “was elected into the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 6 July 2007 at the IOC Session in Guatemala”. That is Olympedia's wording; an NOC is recognised by the IOC, not a member of it.[2] The COK's own history states that it “was accepted as a new NOC in 2007”, and a COK feature refers to “Admission to the International Olympic Committee in Guatemala City in 2007”, the same membership wording.[19][20] No founding date for the committee could be retrieved from the COK's own pages.

Football. UEFA records the Fudbalski savez Crne Gore (FSCG) as a UEFA member from 26 January 2007 and a FIFA member from 29 May 2007. UEFA records the Football Board of Montenegro as established on 5 August 1945 and as becoming the FSCG on 6 December 1948, under the wider authority of the Yugoslav association.[21]

A statutory seat. Article 24 of the 2024 law on the public broadcaster lists the bodies that propose candidates for its Council; point 8 reads “Crnogorski olimpijski komitet i Crnogorski paraolimpijski komitet - jednog člana”, and the same article allows those proposers to put forward one candidate together or separately.[22]

What are the main domestic leagues and competitions?

The FSCG's site names the top football division Meridianbet 1. CFL, with the Kup Crne Gore and the Meridianbet 2. CFL as its other national competitions. Its standings after round nine list ten clubs, as printed: Otrant-Olympic, Bokelj sbbet, Dečić, Budućnost, Mornar, Sutjeska, OFK Mladost Lob.bet, Jezero, Petrovac and Arsenal.[5] UEFA records that the national league admitted 12 teams in its first season, 2006/07.[21]

In basketball two Montenegrin clubs play in the regional ABA League, organised by ABA Liga j.t.d., whose site lists Budućnost VOLI and SC Derby among its clubs for 2026/27.[3] Dan reported on 23 September 2026 that Budućnost VOLI would open its ABA League season on Friday at the Morača hall;[8] the league schedules that game, against Cibona, for 25 September 2026.[3]

In water polo, RTCG reported on 23 September 2026 under the headline “Budva dominantna u Kotoru, 18 golova za pobjedu nad Primorcem”.[4] The news agency MINA gave the score as 18:13 and reported it as a match of the first round of the Regionalna vaterpolo liga.[23][35] The league's organising body was not identified from its own site.

How has Montenegro performed at the Olympic Games?

Montenegro's own code. Olympedia files Montenegro as MNE. Its participation table lists the country at the Summer Games of 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 and at the Winter Games of 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.[2]

Olympedia's medals-by-Games table for MNE carries one row, the 2012 Summer Olympics, typed Olympic Games, with 0 gold, 1 silver and 0 bronze. Its medals-by-sport table carries one row, handball, with the same figures. Neither table prints a totals row. The narrative states that the women's handball team won “the nation's first medal, losing only the gold medal match to Norway, 26-23, in the 2012 tournament”.[2] On MNE's rows alone, Montenegro's Olympic record is that one silver medal.

Codes Olympedia uses for earlier teams. Olympedia's MNE narrative states that Montenegrin athletes “competed for Yugoslavia and, later, Serbia and Montenegro”, and links the country pages YUG and SCG.[2] Those rows belong to those teams and are not Montenegro's; none is added to the MNE row above.

Olympedia types Youth Olympic Games rows separately, and none appears in either MNE medal table.[2]

Which athletes and teams are internationally recognised?

Women's handball. Olympedia records the silver medal of the 2012 Olympic Games, the final lost to Norway 26-23.[2] The European Handball Federation's feature of 13 May 2020 records Montenegro beating Norway after extra time in the final of the Women's EHF EURO 2012 in Belgrade. It states that Norway had won “four consecutive gold medals” before that final.[27]

Men's water polo. European Aquatics, in its facts for the 2026 European Water Polo Championships, states: “Montenegro triumphed in 2008 and Croatia in 2010.” The same text records that Serbia won the 2016 final against Montenegro in Belgrade.[28] It also records titles in 2001 and 2003 for “Serbia and Montenegro”, the first “then under the name Yugoslavia”. Those belong to the predecessor team and are not counted here as Montenegro's.[28]

Men's football. UEFA records that Montenegro's senior team made its debut on 24 March 2007, beating Hungary 2-1, and that it reached the play-offs for UEFA EURO 2012, where it lost to the Czech Republic.[21]

What major international competitions has Montenegro hosted?

Games of the Small States of Europe, 2019. The European Olympic Committees announced in July 2018 that the Games of the Small States of Europe would be held in Montenegro from 27 May to 1 June 2019.[29] Sport Europe's page on the Games gives 846 athletes and 113 medal events.[30] The Games have finished.

Women's EHF EURO 2022. The European Handball Federation lists Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro as the hosts of the Women's EHF EURO 2022, with Podgorica as the Montenegrin venue beside Ljubljana, Celje and Skopje.[31] That championship has also finished.

What are Montenegro's main sporting rivalries?

The documented recurring fixtures are with the neighbouring national teams. The football counts below come from a single secondary statistics site, not from a federation's own record.

Against Serbia, 11v11 publishes Montenegro's men's record as 0 won, 0 drawn and 4 lost. It lists a 0-2 home defeat and a 2-1 away defeat in the UEFA Nations League on 11 October and 17 November 2018. It lists a 0-2 home defeat and a 3-1 away defeat in UEFA European Championship qualifying on 27 March and 17 October 2023.[32] In water polo, European Aquatics records that Serbia beat Montenegro in the 2016 European final in Belgrade.[28]

Against Croatia, 11v11 publishes Montenegro's record as 0 won, 0 drawn and 2 lost, both in FIFA World Cup qualifying: 4-0 to Croatia away on 8 September 2025 and 2-3 at home on 17 November 2025.[33]

In women's handball, Olympedia and the European Handball Federation record two finals against Norway in 2012: Norway won the Olympic final 26-23, and Montenegro won the European final after extra time.[2][27]

What is the role of school and university sport?

The Ministry of Sport and Youth's list of national sports federations includes the Crnogorski školski sportski savez, the schools sport federation, and the Studentski sportski savez Crne Gore, the students' sport federation.[1] Both federations are named among the members of the working group on the ministry's June 2024 proposal of a sport development strategy.[11] That proposal states the ministry's own assessment: “Predškolski, školski i univerzitetski sport su vjerovatno i najvažniji segment za uspješan razvoj sporta u Crnoj Gori i to je garant stvaranja zdrave nacije, jer predstavljaju osnovu za razvoj sportskih talenata i stvaranje baze za buduće vrhunske sportistkinje i sportiste ali i one koji će se kasnije u svojim životima redovno baviti rekreativnim sportom.”[11] No programme, competition calendar or participation figure published by either federation or by the education ministry was retrieved.

Were any sports invented in Montenegro?

None of the bodies whose documents were opened — the COK, the Ministry of Sport and Youth, the FSCG and the international federations cited above — makes a claim that a sport was invented or codified in Montenegro, and none names a declared national sport.[15][1] Because the text of the Law on Sport could not be read, whether the statute declares a national sport could not be checked.

References

  1. Government of Montenegro, Ministarstvo sporta i mladih — Web adrese nacionalnih sportskih saveza (undated list; no total printed). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  2. Olympedia — Montenegro (MNE): country page, narrative, participation table, medals by Games and medals by sport tables. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  3. ABA League — official site (ABA Liga j.t.d.; 2026/27 season; Budućnost VOLI and SC Derby). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  4. RTCG — Sport section (sub-sections and headlines of 23 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  5. Fudbalski savez Crne Gore — home page (Meridianbet 1. CFL, Kup Crne Gore, Meridianbet 2. CFL; round-9 standings). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  6. Stanislav Bender and Robert Tomljenović — Mjerenje medijske publike u Crnoj Gori: analiza sistema i metodologije mjerenja televizijske gledanosti s preporukama (October 2025), with the organisational support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro; published on amu.me. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  7. CdM — Sport section (sub-sections and headlines, 23–24 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  8. Dan — Sport section (sub-sections and headlines of 23 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  9. Constitute Project — Montenegro's Constitution of 2007 with amendments through 2013 (English text), Article 1. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  10. Government of Montenegro, e-services portal — Upis u Registar sportskih organizacija i davanje saglasnosti na statut (relevant regulations: Article 52 of the Zakon o sportu, Sl. list CG 44/2018 and 123/21; updated 26 April 2024). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  11. Ministarstvo sporta i mladih — Predlog Strategije razvoja sporta u Crnoj Gori za period 2024–2028 (proposal, June 2024; quotes Article 2 of the Zakon o sportu), as hosted by Opština Kolašin. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  12. Government of Montenegro — Zakon o sportu: document page (posted 16 July 2018; downloadable file not readable on retrieval). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  13. Ministarstvo sporta i mladih — Izvještaj o radu i stanju u upravnim oblastima za 2019. godinu (20 March 2020). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  14. Government of Montenegro, Uprava za sport i mlade — Ko može da osnuje nacionalni sportski savez. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  15. Crnogorski olimpijski komitet — Statute of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee (14 March 2019, with amendments of 7 October 2019), English text: Preamble, Articles 1, 2, 9, 13. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  16. Government of Montenegro — Sportske asocijacije u Crnoj Gori (COK and POK). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  17. Government of Montenegro, Ministarstvo sporta i mladih — Sport (portal page linking the COK and the Paralympic Committee). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  18. Olympedia — Crnogorski olimpijski komitet (COK): organisation entry (Founded: 2007; Recognized by the IOC: 2007). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  19. Crnogorski olimpijski komitet — History (Olympic timeline; “accepted as a new NOC in 2007”). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  20. Crnogorski olimpijski komitet — The Echo of Historical Experience: a Century of Tradition and Two Decades of Sporting Independence (undated feature). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  21. UEFA — National associations: Montenegro (FSCG; Football Board 5 August 1945; FSCG 6 December 1948; UEFA 26 January 2007; FIFA 29 May 2007). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  22. Zakon o nacionalnom javnom emiteru – Javnom medijskom servisu Crne Gore, Sl. list CG 060/24 of 24 June 2024, Article 24, as published by the Agency for Audiovisual Media Services. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  23. Agencija MINA — Sport paket (headlines of 21–24 September 2026). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  24. Olympedia — Yugoslavia (YUG): country page, participation and medals by Games tables, 1920–1992. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  25. Olympedia — Independent Olympic Athletes (IOA): country page, 1992 Summer Olympics row designated Independent Olympic Participants. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  26. Olympedia — Serbia and Montenegro (SCG): country page, participation and medals by Games tables, 1996–2006. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  27. European Handball Federation — The golden game of Montenegro's mighty generation (13 May 2020; Women's EHF EURO 2012 final, Belgrade). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  28. European Aquatics — Belgrade 2026: European Water Polo Championships facts and figures (27 December 2025). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  29. European Olympic Committees — Games of the Small States of Europe: 300 days to go to Montenegro 2019! (31 July 2018). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  30. Sport Europe — GSSE Montenegro 2019 (27 May – 1 June 2019; 846 athletes; 113 medal events). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  31. European Handball Federation — Women's EHF EURO 2022 (host countries and venues: Ljubljana, Celje, Skopje, Podgorica). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  32. 11v11 (English Football Statistics) — Montenegro national football team: record v Serbia, 2018 to 2023. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  33. 11v11 (English Football Statistics) — Montenegro national football team: record v Croatia, 2025. Accessed 2026-09-24.
  34. Olympedia — Montenegro at the 2026 Winter Olympics: edition results (the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 edition results are linked from the MNE participation table). Accessed 2026-09-24.
  35. Agencija MINA — Budvani slavili u Kotoru (23 September 2026; first round of the Regionalna vaterpolo liga). Accessed 2026-09-24.