The Olympic Games in Beijing came too soon after the restoration of independence for the “lionesses” to participate. However, when they first had the chance to be part of this grand sporting event, they seized it without hesitation.

Following their appearances in London, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo, Montenegrin handball players are set to embark on their quest for a fourth consecutive Olympic appearance in Paris.

Despite a possible generational shift among the “lionesses,” they are well-acquainted with the Olympic qualification process. In contrast, their opponents in the upcoming tournament in Ulm—Germany and Slovenia—might not share that same familiarity, as Paraguay is considered a second- or third-tier nation in world handball.

The Montenegrin women’s handball team is off to Bavaria in hopes of qualifying for their fourth consecutive Olympic Games. Historically, Germany has hosted this pre-Olympic tournament as many times.

4

Germany has participated in the Olympic Games four times, achieving its best results in 1984 and 1992 when it finished fourth.

Notably, Germany has missed the last three Olympic editions attended by Montenegro, with Beijing being the last time they participated—not fondly remembered, having ranked 11th out of 12 teams in the Chinese capital.

Among the teams competing in Ulm, only Montenegro has an Olympic medal, notably a silver from London. Germany has come close in the past, notably in 1992 in Barcelona, but was defeated by a unified team composed of former Soviet players in the bronze medal match.

Besides Catalonia and Beijing, Germany also participated in the Games in Los Angeles in 1984 and Atlanta in 1996.

At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Germany was just another team overshadowed by the future champions from Yugoslavia, led by the legendary Montenegrins Zorica Pavićević and sisters Lily and Svetlana Mugoša.

While Germany has a historic presence in the Olympics, Slovenia, guided by Dragan Adzic, aims to create its own history in Ulm and qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time.

Adžić became an Olympic legend alongside Montenegro in London and could achieve the same with Slovenia.

Under Adžić’s leadership, Slovenia achieved its greatest success by securing eighth place at the European Championship co-hosted with Montenegro and North Macedonia two years ago.

Two spots for Paris are available in the German city on the Danube—traditionally, one should end up in the hands of the “lionesses.”

Upcoming Matches in Ulm

Thursday

Montenegro – Paraguay (20:15)

Saturday

Montenegro – Germany (14:15)

Sunday

Montenegro – Slovenia (16:00)

News