Four times Zdravljica for Slovenian mountaineers in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Slovenian teams swept the competition at the 10th Balkan Championship in Mountain Orienteering, hosted by Bosnia and Herzegovina from 9 to 11 October. They achieved three first places and for the first time also the team cup for the overall victory, so that the Slovenian anthem sounded four times on Ilinčica above Tuzla. Mountaineers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia competed in four age categories. The title of Balkan champions among seniors was once again celebrated in the Mountaineering Club (PD) Poljčane, among juniors in PD Polzela and among pioneers in PD Dobrovlje Braslovče. Slovenian teams also brought home four second places, namely PD Velenje among veterans, PD Škofja Loka among seniors, PD Gornja Radgona among juniors and PD Žalec (OŠ Petrovče) among pioneers, while PD Poljčane also took third place among veterans. An exceptional success of Slovenian mountaineers under the auspices of the Youth Commission of the Alpine Association of Slovenia, which this year celebrates 70 years of organized work with young people.

In Tuzla and its surroundings, 29 teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia competed in mountain orienteering on the second October weekend, from where ten teams qualified for the Balkan Championship, the most successful ones at the Slovenian Mountain Orienteering Competition held in May in Velenje. Slovenian mountaineers achieved the overall victory at the Balkan Championship in Mountain Orienteering with more than a thousand points ahead of second-placed Serbia, while Montenegro took third place.



The competition, which represents a combination of knowledge, experience and the use of technical devices for movement in nature, especially in the mountain world, took place in the form of a team competition in four age groups: pioneers (up to 15 years), juniors (up to 18 years), seniors (from 18 to 45 years) and veterans (over 45 years). Competitors with a map and compass in hand competed in Tuzla and its surroundings in night and day trials, mastering orientation in the field and mountaineering knots, and in the older categories they also had to add theoretical knowledge of mountaineering content and plotting control points. Slovenian colours were represented by 47 competitors in 10 teams in all age categories.

Among seniors, the title of Balkan champions in mountain orienteering was defended by the mountaineers of PD Poljčane, multiple national champions, who had already won the Balkan Championship in 2019, then still in the junior category. The experienced and fast team consisted of Urška Šplajt, Rok Skerbiš, Nejc Belec, Jaša Gričnik and Jernej Rupnik, proud of the victory on this year's anniversary: "This year's tenth Balkan Championship in Mountain Orienteering in Tuzla presented a special challenge for our team, as a large part of the competition courses ran on asphalt. Nevertheless, we successfully tackled the challenges and returned home with an exceptional achievement. Our team has been participating in the Balkan Championship in Mountain Orienteering since the very beginning. During this time we have often stood on the winners' podium, and this year we took first place for the second year in a row. The victory is confirmation of many years of work, persistence and excellent cooperation of the entire team. We are particularly proud that Slovenia celebrated for the first time also in the overall standings. Hearing the Slovenian anthem four times at the award ceremony was an unforgettable moment that will remain in our memory for a long time."

In the junior category, the team of PD Polzela performed best, also for years among the most successful in Slovenia, and at the Balkan Championship in 2024 they still celebrated as pioneers. "We are extremely happy that we managed to win the title of Balkan champions in the junior category. This means a lot to us, especially because we did not come to the competition with high expectations, but mainly with the desire for a good experience and socialising. With this success we have become Balkan champions for the second time, as we previously achieved this result also in the pioneer category. We are all the more proud that we managed to win the title in two different categories. We have proven to ourselves that with cooperation, persistence and the knowledge we have, we can achieve a lot, even when things do not go according to plan," summarised the impressions Manca Jazbec, Nace Jazbec, Jure Lešnik and Tomaž Kolman and added: "We are very proud of the achievement and hope that we will be able to repeat this success next season. We will do our best, and at the same time we want to preserve above all the joy of mountain orienteering, team spirit and the friendships that such competitions bring."

Among the youngest pioneers in the Balkan competition, the young mountaineers from PD Dobrovlje Braslovče Gaja Škrap, Leni Plešej, Luka Peršuh, Anej Holc and Tian Zagoričnik celebrated, to whom the knowledge of mountain orienteering is passed on by mentor Saša Vitanc Brezovnik. "The knowledge from previous competitions was of great help to us and helped us both in this competition and in previous ones so that we could be confident on the course. At the competition we were impressed by the connection of the cultures of the Balkan peninsula with the same common goal, and although we were all opponents in the competition, outside of that time we socialised a lot, got to know each other and shared experiences. That is why the most demanding challenge of this weekend for us was to beat everyone for whom, besides yourself, you also wish victory and joy. However, everyone put in everything in their power for the victory, and it was really nice on Sunday to hear the Slovenian anthem, which was sung in almost every category, which gave us even more strength and momentum for the next competitions," summarised the impressions the pupils of OŠ Braslovče.

Slovenia this year for the first time in the ten-year history of the Balkan Championship in Mountain Orienteering won the team cup for the overall victory; second was Serbia, third Montenegro. In addition to the three victories, Slovenian teams also brought home four second places, namely PD Velenje among veterans (in this category the Serbs otherwise celebrated), PD Škofja Loka among seniors, PD Gornja Radgona among juniors and PD Žalec (OŠ Petrovče) among pioneers, while PD Poljčane also took third place among veterans. The overall success was also contributed to by the veterans from PD Polzela in fourth place and the juniors from PD Lovrenc na Pohorju in fifth place.



"Since the beginning of the existence of the Balkan Championship in Mountain Orienteering, there has been healthy competition between Slovenia and Serbia as the results-wise best countries. Although we were often successful in individual categories, something was always missing in the overall standings. This year – as if on purpose in the year when the Youth Commission of the PZS celebrates 70 years – everything fell into place. In three categories we took first and second place, in the fourth second and third and (finally) also won in the overall standings. The credit for this success goes to all the teams and mentors who really successfully represented us at this year's competition," Matjaž Žohar - Biba, head of the Slovenian delegation from the Youth Commission of the Alpine Association of Slovenia, which this year celebrates 70 years of organized work with young people, while mountain orienteering competitions have an even longer tradition, was also satisfied.



In September, at Gojzarfest 2026, the largest mountaineering festival of the Youth Commission of the PZS so far, in Ljubljana's Tivoli Park more than 1600 children, their mentors, families and other members of the youth sections of mountaineering clubs from all over Slovenia playfully, practically and experientially tasted mountaineering, which is not only walking to the top, but also movement, exploring nature, acquiring new knowledge, creativity, volunteering, making friends and growing up together.



The central ceremony on the occasion of this year's 70th anniversary of the Youth Commission of the PZS will take place on Friday, 16 October, at 17.30 in SiTi Teater in Ljubljana with a walk through seven decades of youth mountaineering and recalling important milestones, stories and memories. At that time the proceedings entitled Pot, ki jo riše mladost will also be published.