While countries in the region already compete in sport climbing, and Slovenia has two Olympic gold medals, in Montenegro this sport is more of a private initiative, while state support will have to wait.
The Ministry of Sports has not responded to "Vijesti"'s questions about infrastructure development since the summer, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MS) said that the initiative to install climbing walls in schools would require detailed analysis.
What is sport climbing?
Sport climbing is a discipline that developed from mountaineering. It is performed on natural and artificial rock, on routes of short length or height (eight to 30 meters).
The routes are climbed by free climbing with technical protection against falls using pre-placed pegs for intermediate protection.
Artificial rock climbing was developed from sport climbing on natural rocks. The main goal was to create conditions for practicing sport climbing in urban, city environments.
Janja GOAT among women
A female climber from Slovenia won two gold medals at two Olympics. Janja Garnbret. Janja is also a multiple world and European champion in sport climbing. She has won more than 30 World Cups. Janja is, without a doubt, the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of women's competitive climbing in the world.
In addition to Janja, Slovenia has other successful competitors of the newer generation in this sport, including: Jernej Kruder, Domen Skofic, Luka Potocar...
In sport climbing, Serbia also has its champions. Staša Gejo She won gold in 2017 at the World Games in Wrocław and the European Championships in Munich, won two bronze medals at the World Championships in 2018 and 2021, and also won bronze at the World Cup in Brixen three years ago.
In Niš, the Department of Sports, in Slovenia, support from municipalities and the Government
In Serbia, sport climbing has been developing for the last thirty years, and the Faculty of Sports in Niš, where Staša is from, also has a Department for Sport Climbing. In fact - the only one.
In Slovenia, the story is even more serious. A country where "you're not Slovenian if you've never climbed Triglav", children take their first climbing steps with their parents, and climbing is taught in most schools, starting in the first grade.
Dozens of Slovenian primary and secondary schools have small to medium-sized climbing walls, and they are usually located in gymnasiums.
In an earlier interview, Jure Kastelic from the Directorate for Sports of the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sports in the Government of Slovenia said that training programs for children are carried out within physical education classes, that the programs are led by qualified sports teachers who meet national standards. The programs are also carried out as extracurricular or club activities.
The development of sports infrastructure in primary schools is financed and maintained by municipalities, while secondary schools and higher education institutions are financed by the Government, namely the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.
The Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sports, Kastelic explained earlier, supports municipalities with annual public competitions for co-financing local investments in sports infrastructure, and this may include the construction, renovation or improvement of school sports facilities, such as, among other things, climbing walls...
Support for the development of school sports infrastructure through national co-financing in Slovenia has been ongoing for years, and the current cycle, based on the Law on Providing Financial Resources for Investments in Sports Infrastructure, is scheduled for the period from 2023 to 2030. For that period, according to the Law, the Government of Slovenia has allocated 150 million euros for the development of school sports infrastructure.
The Slovenian government also supports public climbing facilities and bouldering halls, when they are part of municipal sports infrastructure projects.
Speaking about the importance of systemic support for the development of this sport, Kastelic said that it has multiple benefits, both for the youngest and for the country:
"Sport climbing for children means developing motor skills, coordination, strength and self-confidence. State support for this discipline means a safe introduction to climbing for the youngest, in accordance with European Union (EU) safety standards."
For the country, according to him, this means identifying talents in sport climbing, which is an Olympic discipline.
Three artificial rocks active in Montenegro
Although Montenegro, like Slovenia, is a mountainous country and has natural prerequisites for the development of sport climbing, this is not the case.
Montenegro currently has three active artificial rocks adapted for sport climbing. The Small Mountaineering Club (MAK) from Podgorica has constructed an indoor rock wall itself, where training takes place. “Javorak” from Nikšić also has an indoor structure for training of younger categories. There is also an artificial wall in Tivat, as part of an initiative by a private company.
From the Mountaineering Association of Montenegro last year, during the previous leadership, when the Association was headed by Tatjana Ivanovic, said that the goal is that, in cooperation with local governments, by 2030, each municipality will have at least one artificial rock for organizing climbing schools for children.
Bozidar Bobo Janketić, the current president, who has been at the helm of the PSCG since the end of 2025, recently supported the MAK initiative to train coaches who would, through sports schools for children, prepare the youngest for sport climbing.
As part of this initiative, a seminar was organized for future trainers, led by licensed instructors from Serbia, Vuk Rokvic i Jelena Jakovljević.
After the pilot phase, which is underway, MAK will open applications for the first groups that will begin training in September.
"In this way, our club, with the strong support of the national federation and instructors with many years of experience and achieved top sports results, is making pioneering steps towards the development of this Olympic discipline in Montenegro through working with children," said MAK.
The sports department is silent, the education department supports, with prior analysis
"Vijesti" has repeatedly asked the ministries of sports and education, science and innovation about support for the development of sport climbing. The editorial team sent the first such inquiry back in August last year. The Ministry of Sports has never responded to that and several repeated inquiries.
The Ministry of Education said a few days ago that early involvement of children in physical activities is important, that "by investing significantly in the reconstruction and construction of gyms, the Ministry continuously supports activities that contribute to the physical development of children and youth."
Regarding the installation of climbing walls in schools, they said that "such an initiative requires detailed analysis."
"It is necessary to provide adequate technical conditions, safety standards, training of teaching staff, maintenance of equipment...", they stated in their response.
At the Tokyo Olympics
Sport climbing has been on the Olympic program since 2020, or 2021, when the Games were postponed due to the global coronavirus epidemic. That year, in Tokyo, Janja Garnbret brought Slovenia its first gold, and she repeated that success at the next Games, in Paris, in 2024.
Slovenia is a member of the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC), and all other countries of the former Yugoslavia are also members: Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and North Macedonia, except Montenegro.
Slovenia: Climbing walls in more than 70 schools
More than 70 primary schools in Slovenia have climbing walls, and there are also several specialized indoor climbing halls throughout the country, particularly in Ljubljana, Kranj and Koper. These halls also host national and international competitions.
Slovenia also has a public register of professionally educated and licensed sports workers, according to which more than 240 of them have a license for sport climbing, or mountaineering - sport climbing. Licenses are issued by the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia.
PSS also sets technical standards for climbing training, including safety and working with children, and also offers accredited courses for educator certification.
A map of halls and gyms with climbing walls is also available on the website of the Sport Climbing Commission of the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia.
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