For the first time in history the Montenegro Handball Federation RSCG is organizer of an IHF World Championship. Currently the 20 best under-18 years women’s teams from all over the world are competing in the cities of Podgorica and Bar – only a few days after the women’s handball team of the hosting nation reached the biggest success ever in Montenegro sports, winning the Olympic silver medal. The father of this success is Predrag Boskovic, President of the RSCG and the club Buducnost (“future”) Podgorica, the winner of the 2012 EHF Champions League. In this interview, Boskovic (40), in his business life chairman of a mining company and since June member of the EHF Executive Committee, explains the significance of handball in his country and the importance of hosting the Women’s Youth World Championships.

In your opinion, what is the correct answer: 2012 is the year of handball in Montenegro – or:  2012 is the year of Montenegro in handball?
Predrag Boskovic (smiles): Both answers are correct. This is not only the greatest year for handball, but in the overall sports history in Montenegro. To win the Olympic silver medal is the biggest achievement ever for the sport in our small country after winning the Champions League title with Buducnost some weeks before. And the year is not over yet, we are still aiming to win the Women’s European championship title in December in Serbia. 

What was the bigger success: Winning Olympic silver or winning the Champions League?
Predrag Boskovic: For our country the silver medal was a priceless situation, for all the people working with the Buducnost club, this title was the same kind of achievement, was the same special moment, as we had missed the final so many times before, and now we got this trophy.

Did you expect to win Olympic silver in London?
Predrag Boskovic: The expectations to get a great result were high in Montenegro. But as we did not find any opponent to have preparation games before the Olympics, our start in London was weak. But then our great approach started and we built up our base for the success stone by stone. To win the quarterfinal against France was the crucial moment, as losing this game would have meant our return ticket to Podgorica. Our team showed the right spirit and we deserved to have this luck we had in the end. In the semifinal we were stronger than Spain, and by proceeding to the final we had already reached the biggest success ever in Montenegro sports. We wanted to win gold, but due to some circumstances we were not able to. But silver is a major success.

Before the Olympics, your men’s team had written history by qualifying for the world championship in Spain, as they eliminated the later-on Olympic silver medallist Sweden...
Predrag Boskovic: This was another incredible moment for our federation. Male handball is rising too after those fantastic two games against Sweden. The world championship 2013 will be the second participation at a major tournament after the 2008 European championships.

What do those successes mean for the development of handball in Montenegro?
Predrag Boskovic:  We were and we a re still team sport number 1 in Montenegro, first because of Buducnost, later-on because of our women’s national team. And of course it is our great ambition to remain in this position. Handball has a tremendous popularity in Montenegro, which you could see at the big party on the main square of Podgorica, when our women’s team returned from London. Now we want to use this popularity to get more kids playing handball.

But things will change in your national team and in the Buducnost team, as top stars Bojana Popovic and Maja Savic have resigned and Olympic top scorer Katarina Bulatovic left the club and quit the national team…
Predrag Boskovic: But our current team still have enough possibilities to grow and to continue in being successful. It is our ambition to reach the main round in the Champions League next season, as our players need this international experience. And Buducnost will remain the base for our national teams, as in contrast to countries like Denmark, Norway, Russia or Hungary we do not have such a big pool of players. Good results for Buducnost mean good results for the national team – and the future is shining brilliant, as Buducnost still should be a Montenegro team. From all our youth and junior teams of the previous years one or two players could be integrated in our women’s squad, every generation left its footprints and our current youth teams are very promising.

How huge do you rate the impact and influence of your club and national team coach Dragan Adzic?
Predrag Boskovic: It was a fantastic deal, when we signed him as the head coach of Buducnost and the national team in 2010. Dragan is the biggest handball fanatic in the whole world and a hard worker. He paid off everything we had invested in him and his team – and of course he will remain the coach of both teams.

Will you persuade Bojana Popovic and Maja Savic to remain connected to handball?
Predrag Boskovic: We offered Maja Savic a job in our youth program with one of our promising teams. Maja has the character, the personality, the knowledge and the experience to do this job. Bojana will remain in handball, too, and in some weeks we will know in what position.

Podgorica and Bar are the hosting cities of the IV Women’s Youth World Championship. Are you satisfied with the first ever world championship in Montenegro?
Predrag Boskovic:  You must ask the IHF and the participating teams, if they are satisfied, not the organizer. If they are satisfied, we are satisfied. We only heard positive comments from all sides about this tournament, everybody is pleased with the arenas, the accommodation and everything. We do our best, noboby complained, and if this remains the same until the end, we are satisfied.

What are your expectations, goals and ambitions for the Montenegro team at this world championship?
Predrag Boskovic: We do not fix the ambitions and goals in a final position, but we fix it in the number of players, who will be able to go all the way to our women’s national team. And in every generation we hope for two or three. But you never know if a young player is capable to go so far. To develop is more important for a player than to once reach good position and then never to be seen again.

Is there any new Bojana Popovic among those youth players?
Predrag Boskovic: A new Bojana Popovic will not be found in the next decades….
Since June you are member of the EHF Executive Committee. What are your goals and what does this election means for the handball in Montenegro?
Predrag Boskovic: At first it is a great recognition of our and my work in Montenegro. I hope to do my best in this commission, where I will try to represent the club and federation side. My biggest task is to promote women’s handball of course. For Montenegro my position means to have a good connection to the decision-takers of European handball.