The President of the Water Polo and Swimming Federation of Montenegro, Nikola Milić, along with the President of the VPSCG Assembly, Dejan Rađenović, held a meeting with the President of the Olympic Committee, Dušan Simonović, to discuss collaborative efforts leading up to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

According to a statement released by the VPSCG, there was a mutual agreement on the importance of strong cooperation between the two organizations, which is essential for supporting athletes during their qualification and preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games.

The Federation has expressed its complete support for the MOC initiative to swiftly establish a Sports Development Fund and to find a sustainable financial model for sports. This initiative aims to guarantee long-term support for the advancement of all sports within Montenegro.

During the meeting, Milić highlighted the VPSCG’s desire to advocate for water polo to be officially recognized as the national sport.

“I firmly believe that water polo merits recognition as a national sport, given the numerous successes that both our senior and junior teams have achieved since 2006. Our senior team has won five medals in major competitions—European and world championships—alongside three gold medals in the World League. Moreover, our national team is unique in having achieved five consecutive appearances at the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, our junior teams have secured 11 medals at world and European championships in recent years,” Milić stated, adding:

“We also advocate for the new Law on Sports, currently in draft form, to define ‘national sport’ criteria, elucidating what is required for a sport to attain this designation. There should also be a mechanism to revoke this status if a sport does not demonstrate ongoing dedication and achieve significant outcomes at major competitions. This category would ultimately recognize which sport truly embodies Montenegro, especially as a small country with a limited base, and water polo has undoubtedly fulfilled this role for years,” Milić emphasized.

The head of the VPSCG concluded:

“I believe that aspiring to achieve national sport status should be a collective aim for all our national federations, serving as motivation for them to excel in major competitions,” Milić wrapped up.

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