Sport inSlovakia is influenced by its climate and geography; popular summer sports include football, tennis, volleyball, swimming, cycling and hiking, popularwinter sports includeskiing andsnowboarding.[1] The most watched sports inSlovakia are football,ice hockey and tennis.Internationally, the most successful sport in Slovakia is ice hockey where currently, as of 2022, the country is ranked as the eighth best team in the world by theIIHF World Ranking.
Untilrevolution in 1989, the sport sector was highly centralized, oriented on a unified, nationwide programme of sports. In 1990 the Act No.173/1990 was adopted by the Federal Assembly of Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, which replaced the Act No. 68/1956 on Organisation Physical Education. Also in 1990, theNational Council of the Slovak Republic approved the Act on Physical Culture No. 198/1990.
In 1997 the new Slovak National Council Act No. 288/1997 on Physical Culture was approved, which also included articles on educational and commercial activities in sport. By passing the Act on State Funding of Physical Culture No. 264/1993 the Slovak National Council approved financing of sport throughlottery funds in 1993.
In 2004 the Slovak government established new Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic with the former Director ofBratislava Airport Dušan Keketi as the first minister of Tourism and Sport.
In 2011, there were over 13,000 sporting clubs and 661,346 registered sportsmen in the country.[2] The most successful sporting club isVojenské športové centrum DUKLA Banská Bystrica with 31 different medals in the year 2011.[citation needed]
| Ice hockey | |
|---|---|
| Country | Slovakia |
| Governing body | Slovak Ice Hockey Federation |
| National team | Slovakia |
| First played | 1920s |
| Registered players | 8,280[3] |
| Clubs | 820[3] |
| National competitions | |
| International competitions | |
After thedissolution of Czechoslovakia, Slovaknational ice hockey team started competing in Group C (lowest tier) ofIIHF World Championships. After winning Group C in1994 and Group B in1995 Slovakia was promoted to Group A for1996 World Championship. Since then, Slovak hockey team has won one gold medal in2002, two silver medals (in2000 and2012) and one bronze medal in2003.
Slovakia has hadmany players in theNHL. From the Czechoslovak era, the most famous areStan Mikita andPeter Šťastný. Since theVelvet revolution there have been much more Slovak players in the NHL, such asPeter Bondra,Marián Hossa,Pavol Demitra orZdeno Chára. Up to now, there have been 10 Slovak players that have won theStanley Cup:[4]
In addition to the players inNHL, many Slovaks play in various leagues all over Europe, most of them in internationalKHL. As of2012–13 season, there are 50 Slovak players playing inKHL, which is due to a Slovak teamHC Slovan Bratislava competing in this league.
There are also three national hockey leagues in Slovakia, withTipsport Extraliga being the top tier of the system. Most league titles (8) were won byHC Slovan Bratislava.
Slovakia also organized the2011 IIHF World Championship, which was won byFinland. The venues wereBratislava andKošice and all matches attracted 406,804 visitors.
Ice hockey is probably the most popular sport inSlovakia. After finishing 2nd in2012 IIHF World Championship a cheering crowd of tens of thousands people greeted the national team players on SNP Square inBratislava,[5] which exemplifies the popularity of this sport in the country.
| Football | |
|---|---|
| Country | Slovakia |
| Governing body | Slovak Football Association |
| National team | Slovakia |
| First played | 1898 |
| Registered players | 428,968(2010)[6] |
| Clubs | 2,432(2010)[6] |
| National competitions | |
| Club competitions | |
| International competitions | |
Association football is the most popular sport in Slovakia, with over 400 thousand registered players. Since 1993,Slovak national football team has qualified once to theFIFA World Cup and once to theUEFA European Championship, In2010, they proceeded into Play-offs, where they were defeated byNetherlands, The most notable result was the 3–2 victory overItaly. In2016, they lost to GermanyGermany National Football Team in the Round of 16.
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In club competitions, only three teams have qualified toUEFA Champions League Group Stage, namelyMFK Košice in1997–98,FC Artmedia Bratislava in2005–06 season andMŠK Žilina in2010–11. FC Artmedia Bratislava has been the most successful team after finishing 3rd in Group Stage and therefore qualifying to Round of 32 ofUEFA Cup. They also remain as the only Slovak club that has won a match in Group stage.
During Czechoslovak era the most notable result of a Slovak club wasSlovan Bratislava's victory in1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup againstFC Barcelona.
The most famous Slovak players are:Marek Hamšík,Martin Škrtel,Juraj Kucka,Peter Dubovský andJozef Adamec.
In 2015, theTatran Čierny Balog stadium gained international recognition following the viral spread of a short video clip that depicted a train entering the ground. The stadium is home to amateur 6. Liga clubTJ Tatran Čierny Balog.[7][8][9]
Basketball in Slovakia is governed by theSlovak Basketball Association (Slovenská basketbalová asociácia), which was created in 1993. However, Slovak basketball dates to 1919.
The highest tier of both men and women basketball league is called Extraliga, which is played by 11 male teams and 8 female teams (as of 2017).[10] The most successful men's teams areBasketbal Pezinok with 7 wins,BC Prievidza andBK Inter Bratislava. To most successful women's teams belongGood Angels Košice with 12 consecutive andMBK Ružomberok with 11 wins.
Slovakia national basketball team has so far never qualified for any Olympic Games, world or European championships. Women are more successful, they have participated once at the 2000 Olympics, and have gained one silver and one bronze medal at 1997, resp. 1993 EuroBasket.
Most famous slovak basketball players include the coachNatália Hejková, playerZuzana Žirková,Anton Gavel orRadoslav Rančík.
Slovak Rugby Union is the official organization in Slovakia, to promote and organize the rugby. Based in Bratislava, competitions are settled all around the country, divided by two types: rugby 7s and rugby XV. There are ten clubs in Slovakia, includingRugby Klub Bratislava, Trnava,Rugby Union Club Piešťany, Bardejov or Košice.
Bandy is a minor sport, as it has made a return only in 2017. In September Slovakia will debut in the annual internationalrink bandy tournament inNymburk,Czech Republic.
Whitewater slalom is the most successfulOlympic sport in modern-day Slovakia with 8 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals since 1993. Furthermore,Slovakia has won 60 medals (25—18—17) atWorld Championships, 91 medals (45—23—23) atEuropean championships and 35World Cups since 1993. Apart from winning many World and European Championships, Slovakcanoeists collected medals in eachSummer Olympic Games since their first appearance inAtlanta 1996.[11][12] The most famous athletes areMichal Martikán,Pavol Hochschorner/Peter Hochschorner,Ladislav Škantár/Peter Škantár,Elena Kaliská,Jana Dukátová,Alexander Slafkovský andMatej Beňuš.
| Athlete | Gender | Category | Atlanta 1996 | Sydney 2000 | Athens 2004 | Beijing 2008 | London 2012 | Rio 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michal Martikán | male | C-1 (canoe single) |  |  | | |  | – |
| Pavol Hochschorner | male | C-2 (canoe double) | – | | | | | – |
| Peter Hochschorner | male | C-2 | – | | | | | – |
| Elena Kaliská | female | K-1 (kayak single) | – | – | | | – | – |
| Juraj Minčík | male | C-1 | – | | – | – | – | – |
| Matej Beňuš | male | C-1 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Ladislav Škantár | male | C-1 | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Peter Škantár | male | C-2 | – | – | – | – | – | |
Table of all medals:
| Athlete | Category | Olympic Games | World Championships | World Cup | European championships | World Championships-Team | European championships-Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michal Martikán | C-1 (canoe single) | 2-2-1 | 4-3-4 | 5 | 4-4-1 | 11-0-1 | 10-2-1 |
| Pavol Hochschorner/Peter Hochschorner | C-2 (canoe double) | 3-0-1 | 5-0-2 | 10 | 6-2-1 | 1-4-2 | 5-0-2 |
| Elena Kaliská | K-1 (kayak single) | 2-0-0 | 1-1-0 | 6 | 5-0-1 | 1-1-1 | 3-4-3 |
| Ladislav Škantár/Peter Škantár | C-2 (canoe double) | 1-0-0 | 0-2-3 | 3 | 3-1-3 | 1-3-1 | 4-0-2 |
| Matej Beňuš | C-1 (canoe single) | 0-1-0 | 0-0-1 | 3 | 0-1-2 | 9-0-0 | 7-0-0 |
| Juraj Minčík | C-1 (canoe single) | 0-0-1 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0-1-0 | 2-0-1 | 5-2-0 |
| Alexander Slafkovský | C-1 (canoe single) | 0-0-0 | 0-2-0 | 3 | 3-3-2 | 10-0-0 | 8-3-1 |
| Jana Dukátová | K-1/C-1 (kayak single/canoe single) | 0-0-0 | 2-3-0 | 4 | 1-2-1 | 1-1-1 | 3-3-4 |
Anastasiya Kuzmina has enjoyed success inbiathlon. At the2010 Winter Olympics she won a gold in thesprint and a silver in thepursuit. She successfully defended hersprint title at the2014 Winter Olympics, and took a third gold in the2018 Games in themass start, along with two silvers in thepursuit and theindividual. Inseason 2017/2018 she also took her first discipline World Cup titles, winning the Crystal Globes for thesprint[13] andpursuit disciplines.[14] Inseason 2018/2019 she again won the Crystal Globes for thesprint. She also won a gold medal in the sprint at the2019 World Championships, a silver medal in the mass start race at the2009 World Championships and a bronze in the sprint at the2011 Worlds.Martina Halinárová won a silver medal in the pursuit at the1999 World Championships.Pavol Hurajt took a bronze medal at the2010 Winter Olympics in themass start.
Matej Tóth is olympic champion in50 km walk at 2016. He also won a gold medal at the2015 World Championship and two silver medals at the2014 European Championships and2018 European Championships.Libor Charfreitag is European champion in a hammer throw at the2010. He also won a bronze medal at the2007 World Championships.Annualmarathons take place in Slovakia in places includingKošice,Rajec andBratislava.
Slovakia has 3 silver and 1 bronze medals fromOlympic Games.Slavomír Kňazovický won a silver medal in theC-1 500 m at theAtlanta 1996. Men's K-4 1000 m won two silver and one bronze medals at the Summer Olympic Games.Slovakia has won 36 medals (16—9—11) atWorld Championships and 45 medals (17—16—12) atEuropean championships.
Slovakia has 2 silver and 3 bronze medals fromOlympic Games.Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková won two silver medals at the2008 Summer Olympics and2012 Summer Olympics. She also won two gold medals at the World Championship in2010 and2018 and two gold medals at the European Championships in 2015 and 2016.Jozef Gönci won two bronze olympic medals inMen's 50 m rifle prone at 1996 and inMen's 10 m air rifle at 2004. Bronze medal has tooDanka Barteková from London 2012 inWomen's skeet.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(March 2013) |
Slovakia Fed Cup team won the Cup in2002 and Slovakia Davis Cup team runner-up in2005 Davis Cup. Also Slovakia wonHopman Cup three times.2016 WTA Finals Champion and 2014 Australian Open runner-upDominika Cibulková and 2008 Australian Open semi-finalistDaniela Hantuchová are the most well known Slovak women's professional tennis players.Martin Kližan who achieved a career high ATP ranking of 24 in April 2015 is the highest ranked Slovak men's professional player.
The best known Slovak cyclists currently competing arePeter Sagan and brothersMartin andPeter Velits. Sagan won three stages of the2011 Vuelta a España, and at the2012 Tour de France he won three more stages and thepoints classification. He repeated his victory in the points classification in the 2013 Tour and won another stage, and subsequently retained his points jersey in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. He won the Road Race World Championship in2015,2016 and2017. Sagan also won twoCycling monument onTour of Flanders andParis–Roubaix. He won on2016 European Road Championships too. Peter Velits was classified second at the2010 Vuelta a España after initial runner-upEzequiel Mosquera was disqualified for a positive test forHydroxyethyl starch. He and hisHTC Columbia team also won the race's initialteam time trial stage, and he won the race'sindividual time trial on stage 17.
Veronika Velez-Zuzulová was a top-ranked slalom skier from her emergence in the mid-2000s until her retirement in 2018. Her best results in the World Cup season standings came in the2016 and2017 seasons, when she finished second in the slalom discipline.[15] She also twice finished third in theAlpine Skiing World Cup slalom standings: in2008 and in2013, a season in which she also scored two World Cup wins. She has since been followed byPetra Vlhová, who won the slalom at the 2014 World Junior Championships before taking her first World Cup race win in December 2015 in a slalom inÅre.[16] Both were part of the Slovak team which took a surprise silver in theteam event at the2017 World Championships inSt. Moritz. Petra Vlhová won a gold medal in thegiant slalom, a silver medal in thecombined and a bronze medal in theslalom at the2019 World Championships. She finished second in theAlpine Skiing World Cup2019 and also was second in the giant slalom and slalom.[17]
| Bratislava | Trnava | Dunajská Streda | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tehelné pole | Štadión Pasienky | Anton Malatinský Stadium | MOL Aréna |
| Capacity:22,500 | Capacity:11,591 | Capacity:19,200 | Capacity:12,700 |
 |  | |  |
| Košice | Žilina | ||
| Košická futbalová aréna | Štadión pod Dubňom | ||
| Capacity:5,800 | Capacity:11,258 | ||
 |  | ||
| Banská Bystrica | Košice | ||
| Národný Atletický Štadión | Štadión Lokomotívy | ||
| Capacity:7,900 | Capacity:9,200 | ||
 | |||
| Trenčín | Prievidza | Nitra | Poprad |
| Štadión Sihoť | Futbalový štadión Prievidza | Štadión pod Zoborom | NTC Poprad |
| Capacity:10,000 | Capacity:7,500 | Capacity:7,480 | Capacity:5,700 |
 |  |  | |
The table shows the most recent rankings of Slovak national teams in the most popular sports.
| Sport | Ranking | Rank | Nr. of countries | Updated | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Men | Women | ||||
| Football | FIFA World Rankings | 31 2 | 48 1 | 209 | 177 | 24 Oct 2019 | [18] |
| Ice hockey | IIHF World Ranking | 9 1 | 15 | 50 | 38 | May 2019 | [19] |
| Tennis | Davis Cup/Fed Cup Ranking | 29 | 15 1 | 132 | 102 | 22 Apr 2019 | [20][21] |
| Handball | IHF Ranking | 22 | 17 | 46 | 45 | 2019 | [22] |
| Basketball | FIBA World Rankings | 68 7 | 28 1 | 81a | 73a | Sep 2019 | [23][24] |
| Volleyball | FIVB World Rankings | 27 | 52 | 122 | 112 | 29 Sep 2019 | [25] |
| Road cycling | UCI World Tour Ranking | 24 | 54 1 | 20a | 66 | 29 Sep 2019 | [26] |
| Biathlon | IBU Nation Cup Scores | 12 3 | 101 | 40 | 40 | 2013 | [27] |
| Summer Olympic Sports |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Sports |
| |
| Other IOC Recognised Sports |
| |
| Paralympics and Disabled Sports | ||
| Others Sports |
| |
