Slovenian sports association in Austria celebrates 75th anniversary

Based in Klagenfurt, the Slovenian Sports Union is the umbrella organisation for the Slovenian and bilingual sports clubs in Austria that coordinates their activities.

Its 75th anniversary was marked with a ceremony on Tuesday, which included the launch of a book detailing the associations's milestones, notable figures, clubs and competitions since 1949.

The ceremony in Klagenfurt presented the association's projects, activities and international work, and archival footage was shown to present the 75-year history of the association, founded on 19 June 1949.

It was attended by Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon, who praised the association for its long-standing contribution to sports and preserving the Slovenian language and identity of the Slovenian community in Austria.

"We stand by your side and support your activities," said Arčon, announcing that a body coordinating all Slovenian umbrella minority sports organisations will soon be established and that more attention will be paid to sports.

The ceremony also featured Governor of Carinthia Peter Kaiser and Marijan Velik, who has led the Slovenian Sports Union for 28 years.

The member clubs of the association boast many top athletes, including ski jumper Daniel Tschofenig of the Austrian national team, a bronze medallist from the 2023 world championships, and Nordic combined skier Tomaž Druml.

Other notable members include ski jumper Karl Schnabl, the 1976 Olympic champion, biathlon world championship silver medallist Dunja Zdouc, cyclist Peter Wrolich, Alpine skiers Daniel Užnik and Mihi Sablatnik, and climbers Nicolai and Timo Užnik.