Sinfo_01_2014

This issue focuses in particular on the forthcoming Winter Olympics scheduled to take

place in February. It features an interview with Petra Majdič, the head of the Slovenian

Olympic team, in which she talks about her experience as an Olympic competitor and

outlines her expectations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Slovenia’s expectations

are high, and rightly so. In this season and in the past, we have seen many Slovenian

athletes achieve podium finishes. The achievements that marked the previous season are

listed in an overview of sporting achievements and in an article about the outstanding

sporting achievements of athletes who have been awarded the title of Slovenian Athlete of

the Year or Team of the Year.

With the Olympic Games approaching, this issue also includes an article about the 150th

anniversary of the founding of the Sokol Gymnastic Society, which played an important

role in strengthening Slovenian national identity. In relation to the latter, we ask whether

the Slovenians are truly a skiing nation. The story of Bloke skiers may be partly myth, but

one should not forget that it is myths that inspire history. And the same is true of the

Slovenians’ attitude to sport.

In a conversation with one of the most successful Slovenian designers, Oskar Kogoj,

whose works also adorn the residences of the world’s most influential politicians, we

discuss the Venetic theory, which maintains that the Slovenians are descended from the

Veneti. In this connection, we outline the symbolic importance of the Venetic horse, a

statute of which has been erected by the Slovenian company Smelt in Nebug near Sochi

on the Black Sea coast.

Slovenia is still a land of opportunities, which is also demonstrated by the success stories

of many family businesses and companies with a long-standing tradition, like Elan, for

example.

Turning to sport again, we can say that sporting and Olympic traditions in Slovenia are part

of the national cultural heritage. We may be a small nation, but we certainly know how to

make an impact on the world’s sporting stage.