Prime Minister Duško Marković meets with President of IOC Thomas Bach: Games of Small States contribute to further international affirmation of Montenegro and promotion of sports

Prime Minister Duško Marković met today in Budva with the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach, who arrived in Montenegro to attend the closing ceremony of the Games of Small States in the evening.

It was concluded at the meeting that the cooperation of Montenegro with the International Olympic Committee is continuous and of high quality, and that the best proof of this are the Games of Small States in Montenegro, and that this sports event significantly contributes to further international affirmation of Montenegro and promotion of sports.

Prime Minister Marković informed the President of the IOC about the strategic approach of the Government to the development of sports, and with that goal the Ministry of Sports and Youth was formed, led by former active sportsman and champion Nikola Janović. Interlocutors agreed that investments in sports are not a cost, but a multi-return investment. "Every euro invested in sports, saves ten euros in health care," the President of the IOC said.

Prime Minister Duško Marković also informed the President of the International Olympic Committee about the political and economic priorities of the Government. The president of the IOC assessed that our country has made significant progress in the past thirteen years of independence, saying that Montenegro can be proud of the fact that in the previous period it remained outside of dangerous conflicts and devoted itself to development.

Prime Minister Marković and President Bach agreed that the Government of Montenegro, that is, the Ministry of Sports and Youth, intensifies cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and that in this context, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Montenegrin Olympic Committee will be concluded.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Sport and Youth Nikola Janović and the President of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, Dušan Simonović.

PUBLIC RELATIONS SERVICE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MONTENEGRO