5 Famous Sports In Slovakia

Wondering what are the common names for the šport or sports in Slovakia? Get to know more about this in this exclusive Ling App guide where we will walk you through the popular sports and their translations in the Slovak language.

Slovakia might be a ‘new’ country, but it has always been a country filled with diverse languages as well as jaw-dropping lines of castles and chateaux in almost every corner. Along with the nature wrapping around the country, one would assume the country for being gentle and synonymous with nature. However, sport in Slovakia is a big part of the Slovak culture. It might be a small country, but they have great sport achievements.

Since sports in Slovakia are heavily influenced by geography and climate, they have certain sports being in season during summer and winter. Recently, during the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Slovakia sent around 40 Athletes and they won 4 medals in total – a gold, two silver, and a bronze.

In this post, I wish to share with you some of the most popular sports in Slovakia- either played or watched by the Slovakians- and also the names of these sports in Slovak. Let’s learn new Slovak words while learning more about Slovakia.

Popular Sports In Slovakia

Ice Hockey

Sports In Slovakia_ ice hockey

Ice Hockey is called Ľadový hokej in Slovak. (Pronunciation: luh-do-viy hoe-key)

Ice Hockey is, hands down, the most popular sport in Slovakia. This might be because it is the most successful sport intentionally in Slovakia. In winter, there would be people playing ice hokey on any frozen lakes available.

Before the Velvet Divorce, when Slovakia and the Czech Republic used to be Czechoslovakia, their ice hockey national team was the most successful team in the history of ice hockey.

In Slovakia, the first ice hockey clubs can be traced back to 1929. However, that was before the split. After the split in 1993, The Slovakians decided to form their own Slovak Hockey League and the Slovak National Team. Since then the Slovak hockey team manage to win one gold medal, two silver medals, and one bronze from the year 2000 until 2012, a huge feat for the new Slovak team.

As for now, there are three national hockey leagues in Slovakia, including the Tipsport Extralig. Some of the famous ice hockey players include Peter Bondra, Stan Mikita, Marián Hossa, Martin Cibák, and Pavol Demitra. 

Football

Sports In Slovakia football

Football in Slovak is called futbal. (Pronunciation:foot-buhl)

Unlike most European countries, many Slovakians feel that football may not be their number 1 sport in Slovakia to play and watch. However, Some fans might have different opinions saying it is one of the most-watched sports. There are about 400000 players registered in Slovakia’s Association football. However, the national team players have only qualified once to compete in the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Championships.

Some of the most famous Slovak players include Jozef Adamec, Juraj Kucka, Marek Hamšík, Peter Dubovský, and Martin Škrtel.

Cycling

Sports In Slovakia cycling

Cycling in Slovak is called cyklistika (Pronunciation: chee-klis-tee-kuh). Meanwhile, mountain biking is called horská cyklistika in Slovak (Pronunciation: horse-kuh chee-klis-tee-kuh). Even though cycling is a normal hobby to have in Slovakia, it was made famous by Peter Sagan.

Why? He is one of the best-known Slovak cyclists and his achievements can speak for themselves. The first professional cyclist to win the Road Race World Championship 3 times in a row, plus, he won the points classification of the Tour de France seven times. World championships- three times! No wonder among all Slovak cyclists, he is hailed as a sports hero and an idol.

However, if you ever want to visit cycling, mountain biking is a good sport to get into since they have the best views and routes for cycling fans.

Tennis

Sports In Slovakia tennis

In some countries, tennis would be a sport for only professional players. However, in Slovakia, tennis is enjoyed more as a recreational sport. In summer, you can find tennis courts everywhere in Slovakia, full of non-athletes having fun. But Slovakia still has some well-known tennis players. Some of the most famous athletes in the Slovakia tennis scene includes Miroslav Mečíř and Dominika Cibulková.

Whitewater Slalom / Canoe Slalom

Canoe Slalom sports in slovakia

This sport is called slalom na kanoe in Slovak.

Since the divorce in 1993, whitewater slalom has been Slovakia’s most successful Olympic sport. Some of you might wonder why you haven’t heard of this sport, right? It is a sport where a single athlete would navigate a canoe or a kayak downstream or upstream in rivers. The goal is to complete the course in the faster time possible. The reason why it is very famous in Slovakia is that the first athlete to win an Olympic gold medal for Slovakia is a Slalom athlete-  Michal Martikán.  Aside from that, Slovakia won 14 medals (eight gold) from this sport.

Other Famous Sports In Slovakia

SportSlovak
CyclingCyklistika
FishingRybolov
FootballFutbal
GolfGolf
HuntingLov
Ice HokeyĽadový hokej
Mountain BikingHorská cyklistika
Mountain ClimbingHorolezectvo
RaftingRafting
SkiingLyžovanie
SquashSquash
SwimmingPlávanie
TennisTenis

Other Sports

SportSlovak
BadmintonBedminton
BowlingBowling
BoxingBox
Horseback RIdingJazda na koni
Ice SkatingKorčuľovanie na ľade
RunningBehanie
SkateboardingSkateboarding
VolleyballVolejbal
WeightliftingZdvíhať závažia

Sports-Related Words

WordSlovak
AthleteŠportovec
BallLopta
captainkapitán
ChampionMajster
CoachTréner
FansFanúšikovia
FeildFeild
KickKop
Playhrať
ScoreSkóre
SportsŠport
TrainingŠkolenie
WinVyhrať

Did You Learn Something New?

Some of these sports are definitely part of our daily conversations which is why learning the vocabulary words related to them can definitely help you in the future. It doesn’t hurt that you learn more information about sports in Slovakia as well as new words to add to your Slovak vocabulary- killing two birds with one stone, right? At least you won’t ever have to run and hide if you suddenly come across someone who wants to talk about things related to these sports, right?

If you enjoyed this post and figured that you want to improve more than just your vocabulary, you can definitely benefit from the Ling App. The Ling app by Simya Solutions is an innovative language learning platform that can help with your Slovak grammar, pronunciation, simple question words, and also common phrases. You can simply learn a new language at your own time and pace, as long as you have your phone and internet connection.

What is even better is that it has language courses for over 60+ foreign languages which means that it has everything you’ll ever need! Whether you are a language learner or a traveler, getting this now downloaded on your phone is the best way to start connecting with the locals. Try it now!

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