As we bid farewell to this year, filled with dramatic and traumatic events and considering the broader geopolitical landscape, speaking on behalf of the Olympic family, we would like all those images of destruction, suffering, and hardship to remain in 2023 and that the Olympic year 2024 contributes to the "Building a More Peaceful and Better World through Sport and the Olympic Ideal," as the resolution adopted by the United Nations on November 21st suggests. This resolution emphasizes, among other things, that the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris will be a "unifying event and a significant opportunity to harness the power of sport to foster an environment of peace, development, resilience, tolerance, and understanding, accessibility, and inclusion," values that Olympism has propagated since its ancient origins. Today, we have gathered to celebrate Olympism and Olympic values to showcase the best in Montenegrin sports. Those who have carried and represented the name of our small and beautiful country on the world stage in the past year. They are a source of inspiration and role models for everyone who wishes to tread the paths of sporting success and see in them the embodiment of hard work, dedication, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Dear athletes, the countless hours of training, sacrifices, and challenges you have overcome have brought you to this stage today. May this year and these achievements be a motivation for new great results at major competitions, where you will reaffirm your magnificent talents and capabilities. Looking ahead to the summer and the Games in Paris, the Montenegrin Olympic Committee is aware of the complexity of the challenges ahead. However, we are confident that we will apply our nearly two-decade experience, knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication to provide the best possible conditions for our sports delegation to showcase their talent and quality. We expect that under our flag, a respectable Olympic team will compete, as they have in the previous editions of the Games, and we are sure that they will shine in the City of Light, making us proud once again. However, just as the essence of sports is not limited to winning and breaking records, the work of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee does not end with organizing our athletes' participation in the Olympic Games, no matter how much it represents the pinnacle and the most visible part of four years of hard work. Therefore, during 2023, we made efforts to strengthen the role of the National Olympic Committee in Montenegrin society. This role is not merely symbolic but crucial for the integrity and progress of our sports community. As the supreme sports organization in the country, we have the right and the obligation to represent the interests of sports and the Olympic movement, ensuring that our voice is heard in decision-making processes. We would be happy - let it be our New Year's wish - if the awareness of how much the Montenegrin Olympic Committee contributes not only to sporting achievements but also to the general well-being of the country deepens, representing the fundamental link in the chain of support for sports development, a link whose strong presence and sustainability are essential for creating a favorable environment in which national federations and sports organizations can progress. Despite the ongoing challenges in securing financial resources, we did not rely solely on the state budget. However, we made every effort to support our athletes logistically and financially with the backing of Olympic solidarity, the EOC, sponsors, partners, and EU funds. We continued to invest in Montenegrin athletes to nurture the next generation of Montenegrin champions. This year, we expanded our sports programs, providing scholarships to athletes and their coaches and preparatory programs for talented athletes in individual sports. By the time of the Paris Olympic Games, we have secured Olympic scholarships for 9 Olympians, scholarships for five coaches, scholarships for young athletes and the best athletes in Montenegro from the previous year, and co-financing scholarships for athletes in team sports. Starting this year, we will also award scholarships to potential participants in the 2026 Winter Olympics. In 2023, we cooperated closely with four National Olympic Committees from our immediate surroundings to strengthen administrative capacities in Olympic committees, federations, the Ministry of Sports, and higher education institutions. All our efforts this year have received recognition and praise at the international level. The Montenegrin Olympic Committee is a success story and is often mentioned as a leader and a model to follow at various continental and international gatherings and forums. On the domestic front, the Ministry of Sports and the Montenegrin Olympic Committee continue to work closely to improve the sports scene in Montenegro. This extraordinary collaboration represents an example of a partnership between the National Olympic Committee and the state and a successful synergy of the state, the National Olympic Committee, sports federations, and athletes. As a result of this excellent cooperation at the national and international levels, I would like to highlight two outstanding projects ahead of us. The first is of genuine importance as a meeting place for the history, present, and future of Montenegrin sports: the long-awaited start of the construction of the Olympic House, which, through its components - the Olympic Museum, the Olympic Academy, the Olympic Center, and the Olympic Administration - will bring together the expertise of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee and direct its creativity toward creating a better environment for athletes and sports workers. The second will allow us to shine again as gracious hosts. In September, we will organize an EOC seminar in Budva, which will bring together around 200 European Olympic sports system participants and serve as a platform for discussions and education on critical topics shaping the future of European Olympism. There are also numerous other projects aimed at promoting inclusivity and gender equality, ensuring a safe sports environment, and developing the skills and capacities of sports administrators, coaches, and organizations, demonstrating our commitment to improving sports and promoting Olympic values in our country... Today is an opportunity to remind ourselves that a group of sports enthusiasts started the project of establishing the Montenegrin Olympic Committee precisely 30 years ago. Some of them are with us today, so I ask you to greet them with applause, hoping their efforts will never be forgotten. In conclusion, I wish you all the best in 2024. I want our athletes and the Montenegrin sports community to remain persistent, dedicated, and disciplined. To continue pursuing their dreams passionately and to know that the Montenegrin Olympic Committee is their home and is always here to support them every step. Together, we can achieve great things. Dušan Simonović President of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee
