The Best Sporting Nations in East Europe
East European nations are popularly known for their great interest in sports. Most of the iconic players in the EPL games are from this part of the world. The countries’ governments continue to show extensive support for sports. As a result, there are well-established policies that favor sports, from grassroots to advanced levels.
Sport governing organizations in these countries carry out the responsibilities of ensuring equitable spending of state money and focus on ethical achievements. Here are the best sporting nations in East Europe.
Czech
Czech is one of the great sports nations, with the country’s national soccer team being one of the top teams in the world. This country is exceptionally known for producing great teams that have competed at the World Championship level, Euro Hockey Tour, and the Winter Olympic Games.
The Olympics’ national team won the first Olympic Gold in 1998 at the Winter Games in Nagano. Most citizens are loyal supporters of various sports like basketball, soccer, kickball, tennis, and soccer. Great players like Petr Cech, Pavel Nedved, Tomas Rosicky, and Robert Lang have significantly contributed to taking the country to glorious levels. Most of the sports played in this country are featured on BetNow.eu, and fans benefit from these matches.
Croatia
Whenever Croatia is mentioned, what comes to your mind? Lukas Modric, right? Currently, football is by far the leading sport in the country. It’s played on amateur and professional levels amongst different age groups in the country. Since independence in the 1990s, the nation has punched above its weight with significant success in competitive sports.
That’s why Germany’s Bild magazine declared Croatia the best sporting nation globally. There are also other sports like tennis, volleyball, alpine skiing, swimming, and chess. Most of the players in this nation tend to be tall on average, which gives them an advantage in sports like volleyball and basketball. Apart from Lukas Modric, there are also other great players in soccer like Ivan Perisic and Niko Kovac.
Hungary
Hungary has outstanding sports achievements, both individually and in team performances. Athletes from this nation are known worldwide, and they take part in European and World Championships. They also participate in the Summer Olympic Games, where they have won several medals making the nation the 10th most successful nation in sports.
Hungary’s significant sports include swimming, athletics, football, table tennis, rowing, and fencing. The country is far more known for its great performances in football than in any other sports. Great players like Ferenc Puskas, Peter Gulacsi, Adam Nagy, and Loic Nego have taken the performance of this nation far in sports.
Serbia
You can’t discuss sports in Serbia without mentioning Novak Djokovic in tennis. With a record of winning multiple major titles in different tournaments and his great head-to-head matches with Feder and Nadal, he has earned the most outstanding titles. Serbia is one of the great traditional powerhouses in the basketball world.
The national team has won two World Championships (1998 and 2002) and three European Championships in 1995, 1997, and 2001. Strong genetics, will, intellect, and winning spirit are major contributors to the nation’s performance in sports.
Greece
This nation has won eleven medals at the modern Olympics and multiple other medals in the European and World championships. These records have pushed the country to be one of the most successful sports nations globally. Greece’s national sport is soccer and basketball, which have had excellent performances in the European championship and World Cup finals.
Iconic players like Theodoros Zagorakis, Angelos Charisteas, and Traianos Dallas have pushed the performance of the country’s soccer team to great levels. Stefanos Tsitsipas contributes greatly to the national Tennis team.