(Un)known Montenegro

The question - how much the world knows about us, who and how much contributes to that knowledge, was prompted by some recent events. At first, the answer could be that our politicians have the greatest credit. Daily information and pictures about their visits abroad, meetings, agreements, contracts. For our public about it on all bells, for foreign - flash, or somewhat broader information. Like, for example, the arrival of delegations from Luxembourg, Moldova, Malta... It is unlikely that we will rush to meet them as tourists based on that.

To the assumed question of the foreign world - who is and where is that Montenegro, perhaps the best answer is given by our sport.

Montenegrin handball players they are leading in this because they are known in the representative competition in most countries of all continents. In Europe, and in the club competition. The handball club Budućnost is celebrating its 75th anniversary these days, and the handball players are the best offspring of that team because they continuously achieve commendable results. That's how they belong to the elite of world women's handball. Their peak is the year 2012 and the Olympics in London.

Today, ŽRK Budućnost, in a legal process, is changing generations. With young (even too young), extremely talented handball players. A pledge for the Club and the National Team.

Are we helping them with that? Some, fortunately in the minority, "help" as if nothing had ever happened. Destruction often goes with every great success, so the question is whether in our country, in politics in particular, there are points and goals of particular importance around which all parties, and then citizens, can agree on them. It could even be a sport, with everything that goes along with it, expressed in wisdom - In a healthy body, a healthy spirit (of man and nation). Or - Sport is more than just sport.

About other current reasons for this story, at the end of the text.

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Montenegro is spatially small, among the smallest in Europe in terms of population. By which everything can be known to the world. In terms of tourism, with a lot of reservations when it comes to services and prices. Ecological, the first in the world, declared a long time ago. Today, with a step back, because in the meantime the first signs of ecology have been devastated. Forests cut down, clear streams decimated by uncontrolled construction of small hydropower plants. There is no need to talk about cleanliness as the first degree of ecological concept. The broom is missing, so the restoration of everything mentioned above.

Nevertheless, all of this stands with the image of a different Montenegro.

It is possible to find coastlines with interesting old towns and beautiful beaches in the world. Green mountains with lakes. With clear streams and timid rivers. Spacious pastures. With the special riches of Mediterranean lakes and rivers...

But it's hard to find all that together in such a small space, as is the case with Montenegro. Such Montenegro is promoted by our athletes. Fortunately, the guests do not have enough time to get to know some of the attractions in this natural paradise.

It turns out, however, that in the search for bright spots in Montenegrin reality, without big fences, we can rely on sports with the greatest confidence. Montenegro is equally famous for women's handball and water polo, in which it just qualified for the fifth time to participate in the Olympic Games. There are also basketball players, teams and individuals with excellent results, but not enough known because they are in less popular sports.

However, more about handball. Here's why.

If we were to test the world's sports public, everything from Japan, China, Korea, and Central and Western Asian countries, then all the countries of Europe, then most of the countries of the American continent, North Africa, Australia - and ask the question where on the globe is Montenegro located, our handball players would answer better than anyone else. They are well remembered in those areas because they beat their best teams. Even when they were winning, they understood that they had beaten equals or better than themselves. Their fans, directly at the matches, and especially through television broadcasts, learned more and more about us. Certainly, some of them came or will come to Montenegro as tourists.

Therefore, it is a very appropriate question: has anyone from the sphere of economy and tourism even guessed, because it is impossible to establish exactly, how many tourists from the world, especially from Europe, came to Montenegro, encouraged by the matches of our athletes on the fighting grounds and through television transmission. And what is the difference in the promotional effect when the Tourism Organization publishes and pays dearly for a media advertisement of only 30 seconds, compared to more than two hundred thousand seconds (or 60 minutes), which is the average duration of the international TV broadcast of just one match of our national team, or club, in handball, water polo, basketball. In a few decades, that's worth hundreds of millions of profit. There are many other things that go along with the sporting success of a country. Along with the economy (tourism), there are encounters with culture, tradition and contemporary developments in the country.

Just ask politicians, or our delegations from any field, how many times in meetings they were respectfully told "We know, handball players, water polo players..."

A propos promotion via TV broadcast. I attended the negotiation of a Japanese agency for advertising at the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo. They insisted on being present in the live broadcast during the awarding of medals. They were looking for even a minimal space. They expressed themselves symbolically - how many blinks.

Finally, briefly about the announced current reasons for this story.

- These days, Montenegro and its sport are proudly celebrating 75 years of handball, with an emphasis on the great results of its female handball players. With the generation that reached the top in 2012 and the crown at the Olympics in London. - The recent meeting of the US ambassador, Mrs. Judy Reising Rejnka, with handball players and her statement that the broadcasts of the Lionesses match from the recent World Championship were the most watched on the Embassy's official channels since Mrs. Reising was in Montenegro. "We share the same responsibility, because we are ambassadors of our countries... You brought Montenegro to the world stage and showed that respectable results can be made from a small country..."

- Then, the already mentioned process of entering the handball scene of young talented handball players from Buducnosti, who mature in matches with the strongest European teams.

- The extremely important decision of the current Government of Montenegro to significantly increase funds for sports this year, aware of its multiple importance, and related to our topic, also due to the role of top sports in promoting Montenegro abroad, is at issue.

And at the very end. Sport is always a bigger story, it is said for a reason - sport is more than just sport. Referring to the year 2012, I remembered some details during the general national celebration. People cheered, old and young. Cities red with flags. Rally in honor of Lions. And, one special picture. An imposing old-fashioned figure from the village, with a shoulder-length mustache, who exclaimed in delight in front of the TV camera: "By God, since these girls of ours are the best in the world, now this woman's head of mine is my milia."

In patriarchal, chivalrous Montenegro, the power and vitality of women is becoming increasingly visible. The supremacy of the matriarchy.

Sport is far more than just sport.