Gjorgji Hristov

Sports in the Republic of Macedonia have a very important place. Sport activity has been determined with a legal regulation, which contributes to a planned development and individual work of the sport associations from the Republic of Macedonia.

In the Republic of Macedonia there are 34 sport associations with more than 1,500 active clubs and 150,000 active members. There are more than 1,000 highly educated professionals from the sport area taking care of the expert work. All are involved in the educational process and the sport clubs and associations.

The sport associations result in a rational system of competitions, according to the criteria and regulations of the international sport associations, and individuals, teams and representations participate at international competitions in Europe and the world.

The Macedonian Olympic Committee takes care of the participation of the athletes of the Republic of Macedonia at the winter and summer Olympics, and it has participated with its teams at the Olympics held in 1991.

The Macedonian athletes have many successful appearances at the international sport scene. Proof of this is the numerous medals from the Olympic Games, European, World and Balkan competitions. Darko Panchev was Europe's soccer MVP in 1991. Other notable Macedonian soccer players include Toni Savevski, Boban Babunski, Goce Sedloski, Gjordji Hristov, Toni Micevski, Artim Shakiri, Ilija Najdovski. The wrestler Shaban Trstena was a gold medallist at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and also won the silver medal at Seoul Olympics in 1988. Mogamed Ibragimov won the silver medal at the 1998 World Championship and is a three-time European champion (1995, 1996 and 1999). Mogamed Ibragimov also brought the first Olympic medal for Macedonia since its independence. On October 1, 2000 he defeated the two time Olympic Bronze medalist, Amirreza Khadem Azghadi (Iran) to take home the bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

The first-ever participation of athletes from Macedonia at the summer Olympic games is related to the Australian ground precisely, i.e. to Melbourne 1956. Since then until Sydney, only the Tokyo Games in 1964 were "missed". It means that participation in the Olympics was carried out 10 times, taking into consideration, however, that until the Republic of Macedonia has gained its independence in 1991, its athletes competed within the Olympic Team of former Yugoslavia. The balance of trophies is as follows: 11 medals, of which 2 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze decorations.

Macedonian winners of Olympic Medals
GOLD:
Rome 1960	Blagoja Vidinic (soccer)
Los Angeles 1984	Saban Trstena (wrestling)
SILVER:
Melbourne 1956	Blagoja Vidinic (soccer)
Montreal 1976	Blagoja Georgievski (men's basketball)
Los Angeles 1984	Redzep Redzepovski (boxing)
Seoul 1988	Stojna Vangelovska (women's basketball)
Seoul 1988	Saban Trstena (wrestling)
BRONZE:
Montreal 1976	Ace Rusevski (boxing)
Moscow 1980	Saban Sejdi (wrestling)
Los Angeles 1984	Saban Sejdi (wrestling)
Los Angeles 1984	Milko Gjurovski (men's soccer)
Sydney 2000	Mogamed Ibragimov (wrestling)

Performance of the Macedonian athletes at the Sydney 2000 Olympics
WRESTLING (FREESTYLE) Mogomed Ibragimov (85 kg.) – ranked 3rd, bronze medal Nasir Gadzihanov (76 kg.) – ranked 7th SHOOTING Divna Pesic (air-rifle) - ranked 44th, 384 (rifle-3 pos.) – ranked 36th, 561 CANOE - KAYAK SLALOM Lazar Popovski (K-1) – ranked 17th ATHLETICS Daniela Kuleska (1500m) – ranked 38th, 4:33,50 Vane Stojanov (800m) – ranked 27th, 1:47,71	SWIMMING Mirjana Bosevska (400m i.m.) – ranked 17th, 4:48,08 (800m freest.) –ranked 18th, 8:46,39 (200m butt.) – ranked 20th, 2:12,52 Vesna Stojanovska (200m freest.)–ranked 29th, 2:05,58 (400m freest.)–ranked 31st, 4:19,61 Aleksandar Miladinovski (200m i.m.)–ranked 37th, 2:07,45 (100m butt.)–ranked 41st, 0:55,62 Zoran Lazarovski (200m butt.)–ranked 29th, 2:01,30

Soccer is the most popular sport in Macedonia

Vane Stojanov Track and Field

The Republic of Macedonia has been a host to many international competitions and events. Among them, one can point out the quality, tradition and organization of: International Free Style Wrestling Tournament "Makedonski Biser" (Macedonian Pearl), Ohrid Swimming Marathon that gives points for the World Cup of Marathon Swimming, Sar Planina Cup in Skiing, Mavrovo Memorial in classical disciplines, Mavrovo Skiing Festival, Pelister Skiing Slalom, Swimming Event Skopje, Trophy of Macedonia in handball, Bike Race Through Macedonia, Boxing Tournament "Zlaten Gong" (Golden Gong), etc. The Republic of Macedonia has also been a host and organiser of many European and regional events, and of course the most important are the World Championship in Wrestling and the Chess Olympics.

May 10th 1989 is a date of particular importance for the history of the Macedonian sport. On that day Dimitar Ilievski-Murato became the only Macedonian ever to conquer Mont Everest, unfortunately never parting from its icy embrace. Mountain Pelister marks his achievement with a statue of Dime on Kopanki Peak and a memorial plate at the mountain hostel near the Big Lake.

Macedonia has also a great women's handball team. The Fourteenth World Championship in Women’s Handball was held in Denmark and Norway from November 29 to December 12, 2000. At the second participation in a mundial, the Macedonian representation placed eighth. Having in mind the seventh placement at the previous World Championship in Germany, there is no doubt that the high ranking of the Macedonia women’s handball has been confirmed.

Wild-water kayaking is also big in Macedonia. The best Macedonian wild water kayaker, Laze Popovski participated at the Sydney Olympics, which was his third Olympic competition. It so happened that he managed to meet the Sydney requirements in September, at the World Championship in La Seu D’Urgel on a track well known for him from the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games. At that time, Laze, an 18-year-old young man, was faced for the first time with the greatest kayakers of the world as well as with the Olympic challenge. In Barcelona he won the 34 place among 44 kayakers in the finals. Four years later in Atlanta he was more successful, by reaching the 28 th place among 45 finalists.

There are more than 1,000 sport facilities used for sport needs, 49 of them sport halls, a dozen of them with conditions for hosting big international events, 156 school sport halls, 5 closed and 20 open pools, 35 soccer stadiums, 292 soccer fields, 5 running tracks, 1 hippodrome, 3 airports for sport aircrafts, 1 kayak trail etc.

Of course of special value of Macedonia are the winter recreation centers Popova Sapka, Mavrovo, Pelister, Krusevo, Otesevo, Ponikva…where, although we are on the south of Europe, there is snow for more than 80 days in the year, which provides for development of the winter sports and organization of international competitions of skiing.

Lazar (Laze) Popovski

From the summer sport recreation centers one could mention Ohrid, Struga, Otesevo and Dojran, that provide mass recreation with their conditions.

The climate, relief, and fauna in the Republic of Macedonia preserved and cherished in the national parks of Bistra, Otesevo, Pelister and Ponikva offer possibilities, hunting grounds and conditions for hunting and fishing.