The most popular team Sports in Slovenia are football, basketball, ice hockey, and handball. Individual sports including tennis, cycling, athletics (US track and field), and skiing are also popular. Slovenia has competed in eleven summer and winter Olympic Games. Slovenia is also famous for its extreme sports athletes, such as ultramarathon swimmer Martin Strel and Davo Karničar, the only person to ski down Mount Everest.

Team sports

Football

Zlatan Ljubijankič

The highest domestic level in Slovenian football is the Slovenian PrvaLiga (1. SNL)¹, with 10 teams. Next-highest is the 2.SNL, followed by the two-section 3.SNL. The Slovenia national football team is ranked fifteenth in the world and has qualified for two FIFA World Cups (2002, 2010) and one UEFA European Football Championship (2000) in the past decade. Slovenia qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup by upsetting heavily favored Russia in the qualifying tournament. Russia, with a population of 142 million, is 71 times more populous than Slovenia. Slovenia played in the Group C with England, Algeria, and the United States. Slovene football stars include Samir Handanovič, Robert Koren, Milivoje Novakovič, Josip Iličič, and Zlatan Ljubijankič. Past stars include Brane Oblak, Danilo Popivoda, Srečko Katanec, Džoni Novak, and Zlatko Zahovič.

Basketball

Sasha Vujačić

The highest level of Slovene Basketball is the Premier A Slovenian Basketball League², with 13 teams. The Slovenian national basketball team has qualified for eight Eurobaskets, including a fourth place finish in 2009, and 2 FIBA World Championships in 2006 and 2010. Famous Slovene basketball players include Goran Dragić, Sasha Vujačić, Radoslav Nesterović, Beno Udrih, Matjaž Smodiš, Marko Milič, Ivo Daneu, Peter Vilfan, Vinko Jelovac, Aljoša Žorga, Primož Brezec, Sani Bečirović, and Jaka Lakovič.

Ice hockey

Anže Kopitar

The Slovenian Ice Hockey Championship³, with ten teams, is the highest-level ice hockey league in the country. The Slovenia men's national ice hockey team is currently ranked seventeenth in the world and has qualified for five Ice Hockey World Championships. One of Slovenia's most famous athletes is Anže Kopitar, who plays in the United States for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. His €34.7 million (USD $47.6 million) seven-year contract is the largest contract held by any Slovene athlete. Other famous Slovene hockey players include Robert Kristan, Jan Muršak, David Rodman and Marcel Rodman, Rok Tičar, Žiga Pance, Žiga Jeglič, Tomaž Vnuk, Dejan Kontrec, Bojan Zajc, Igor Beribak, Valerij Šahraj, Stanley Reddick, Ed Kastelic, and Nik Zupančič.

Handball

Handball is also very popular in Slovenia. Slovenia has played at five handball world championships, ranking as high as tenth place at the 2007 championships in Germany. Slovenia has played in the European handball championships eight times, winning second place the 2004 championship in held in Slovenia. Slovenia has missed just one European championship, in 1998.

Slovenian club Celje Pivovarna Laško won the Champions league once in 2004, beating Flensburg in the final. They also played six times in a row in the Champions league semifinals. Other famous Slovenian teams are Slovan Ljubljana (1980 Champions cup finalists), Gorenje Velenje, and Cimos Koper.

Rugby union

Main article: Rugby union in Slovenia

Mediterranean games

Slovenia has competed in the Mediterranean games since 1993. It ranks twelfth in the all-time rankings. {as of | 2011} Slovenia's Mediterranean games medal count is 101. 27 gold, 28 silver and 46 bronze medals.

Canoeing

Slovenia has won numerous titles in canoeing. The most successful canoeists are:

Jernej Abramič
Janez Andrijašič
Luka Božič
Albin Čižman
Peter Guzelj
Simon Hočevar
Tone Hočevar
Borut Javornik
Peter Kauzer
Uroš Kodelja
Jurij Korenjak
Urša Krajelj
Sebastjan Linke
Josip Lipokatič
Nada Mali
Fedja Marušič
Jure Meglič
Nina Mozetič
Andrej Nolimal
Marian Olejnik
Spela Ponomarenko
Damjan Prelovšek
Janež Skok
Dejan Stevanovič
Miha Štricelj
Marjan Štrukelj
Sašo Taljat
Eva Terčelj
Gregor Terdič
Miha Terdič
Dušan Tuma
Andraž Vehovar
Jože Vidmar
Boštjan Žitnik
Franc Žitnik
Jernej Župančič Regent

Mountain climbing

Slovenia is also a major force in alpinism. Some of the greatest legends of alpinism are Slovenian, including Tomaž Humar, Tomo Česen, and Julius Kugy. Other notable Slovenian alpinists are Jakob Aljaž, Klement Jug, Davo Karničar, Nejc Zaplotnik, Miha Valič, Aljaž Anderle, Viki Grošelj, Pavle Kozje, and Igor Škamperle.

Rowing

Since the former Yugoslavia split up, Slovenian rowers have enjoyed excellent results in international competition. The most famous rower in Slovenia is Iztok Čop. Other important rowers are Milan Janša, Jani Klemenčič, Rok Kolander, Sašo Mirjanič, Sadik Mujkić, Miha in Matjaž Pirih, Denis Žvegelj, Matej Prelog, and Luka Špik.

Olympics

Main article: Slovenia at the Olympics

Slovenia has achieved disproportionate Olympic success relative to its size, with fifteen medals at five Summer Olympics and seven medals at six Winter Olympics.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Slovenia's three medals, at roughly one medal for every 681,000 Slovenes, was the third best per capita medal ratio behind only Norway and Austria.⁴

Individual sports

Tennis

Katarina Srebotnik

Skiing

Cross-country

Vesna Fabjan
Petra Majdič
Katja Višnar

Biathlon

Teja Gregorin
Tomas Globočnik
Klemen Bauer
Janez Marič
Andreja Mali
Dijana Ravnikar
Tadeja Brankovič-Likozar
Andreja Grašič (Koblar)

Alpine skiing

Olympic medalists:

Mateja Svet (for Yugoslavia)
Jure Franko(for Yugoslavia)
Jure Košir
Katja Koren
Alenka Dovžan
Tina Maze

Others:

Boris Strel
Rok Petrovič
Bojan Križaj
Tomaž Čižman
Mitja Dragšič
Mitja Valenčič
Urška Hrovat
Špela Pretnar
Mojca Suhadolc
Nataša Bokal
Andrej Šporn
Andrej Jerman
Matjaž Vrhovnik
Mitja Kunc
Bernard Vajdič
Aleš Gorza
Maruša Ferk

Cycling

Simon Špilak

Athletics

Primož Kozmus
Jolanda Čeplak
Matic Osovnikar
Martina Ratej
Brigita Bukovec
Brita Bilač
Borut Bilač
Gregor Cankar
Sonja Roman
Brigita Langerholc
Helena Javornik
Alenka Bikar
Rožle Prezelj
Boštjan Buč

Ski Jumping

Primož Peterka
Robert Kranjec
Rok Benkovič
Peter Žonta
Primož Ulaga
Miran Tepeš
Danilo Pudgar
Matjaž Debelak
Matjaž Zupan
Urban Franc
Damjan Fras
Samo Gostiša
Špela Rogelj

Gymnastics

Leon Štukelj
Mitja Petkovšek
Aljaž Pegan
Stane Derganc
Josip Primožič
Miroslav Cerar
Adela Šajn
Rok Klavora
Sašo Bertoncelj

Judo

Urška Žolnir
Lucija Polavder
Raša Sraka
Petra Nareks
Matjaž Ceraj
Rok Drakšič
Sašo Jereb

Snowboarding

Rok Flander
Dejan Košir
Žan Košir

Fencing

The most famous Slovenian fencer is Rudolf Cvetko, who won Olympic silver medals in 1912 for Austria. He was the first Slovenian to won an Olympic medal and the most important promoter of fencing in Yugoslavnian Slovenia.

Shooting

Rajmond Debevec won Olympic gold and bronze, as well as numerous other achievements. He is the best Slovenian shooter in history. He participated in seven Olympic games in a row for Yugoslavia and also holds the world record in 3-p, Munich WCF 1992, 1186 p.

Sailing

Slovenia has a short shoreline but but very successful sailors, including Olympic medalist Vasilij Žbogar, Dejan Vinčec, and others.

Swimming

Sara Isakovič
Peter Mankoč
Borut Petrič
Darjan Petrič
Anja Klinar
Alenka Kejžar
Nataša Kejžar
Metka Šparovec
Jernej Godec
Blaž Medvešek
Matjaž Markič
Emil Tahirović
Damir Dugonjić
Igor Majcen
Nace Majcen
Jure Bučar
Anja Čarman
Martin Strel

Motorsport

The only woman to have circumnavigated the world on a motorbike is Slovenian Benka Pulko. On June 19, 1997, Benka Pulko departed from her hometown of Ptuj, Slovenia on a BMW F650 motorcycle. She returned to Ptuj on December 10, 2002, having established the Guinness World Records[2][3] for the longest solo motorcycle ride ever undertaken by a woman - in both distance, 180,015 km, and duration, 2,000 days. In the process she also became the first motorcyclist to reach Antarctica, and the first woman to ride solo across Saudi Arabia.

Another Slovenian motorcyclist, Igor Jerman, is a participant in the Superbike comptetition.

References

^ "www.prvaliga.si". www.prvaliga.si. http://www.prvaliga.si/Default.asp. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
^ "Košarkarska zveza Slovenije". Kzs-zveza.si. http://www.kzs-zveza.si/kzs/. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
^ "Hokejska zveza Slovenije". Hokejska-zveza.si. http://www.hokejska-zveza.si/. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
^ http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/

[0] "www.prvaliga.si". www.prvaliga.si. http://www.prvaliga.si/Default.asp. Retrieved 2010-02-12.

[1] "Košarkarska zveza Slovenije". Kzs-zveza.si. http://www.kzs-zveza.si/kzs/. Retrieved 2010-02-12.

[2] "Hokejska zveza Slovenije". Hokejska-zveza.si. http://www.hokejska-zveza.si/. Retrieved 2010-02-12.

[3] ttp://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/

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Sport in Slovenia

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