Soccer: derbies and boredom
The sport that drives conversations and bets is, of course, soccer. But Albania does not shine either in terms of its championship or the results of its national team. The Kategoria Superiore brings together the country's top ten clubs. But it suffers from a lack of investment and opaque financing, and the best players leave for other countries. Matches are generally mediocre and the championship is dominated by three clubs from the capital: KF Tirana (26 wins since 1930), Dinamo Tirana (18) and Partizani Tirana (17). As for the "Red and Black"(Kuq e Zinjtë), the national team, it only took part in the Euro 2016 finals in France, only to be eliminated in the first round (one win against Romania and two defeats against France and Switzerland).
Medals under other flags
Although Albania has never won an Olympic medal since its first appearance at the Games in 1972, the country is sometimes a land of champions. The most emblematic case is that of Pyrros Dimas. Born in Himara in 1971, this weightlifter from Albania's Greek minority took Greek nationality before his first appearance at the Games in 1992. The Albanians are very angry with him for this. After all, the "Lion of Himara" went on to win gold, before repeating the feat at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics and ending his career, at the age of 34, with a bronze medal in Athens in 2004. Today, Albania's most famous sportsmen are international footballers Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka and Zeki Amdouni. But they are also part of the Nati, the Swiss national team. Since the 2010s, around a third of the Swiss team has been drawn from the Albanian-speaking diaspora, and this has helped the Nati enjoy a successful period, with appearances at the Euro finals in 2016 and 2020, and the World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022. But this has not always been without its problems. For example, during their 2-1 victory over Serbia in 2018, Shaqiri and Xhaka, imitated by team-mate Stephan Lichtsteiner, used their hands to mimic the double-headed eagle, the symbol of Albania. Scandal, followed by sanctions and a ban on all Swiss players repeating the gesture.
Leisure sports: with caution
In Albania, you can enjoy a sporting vacation: hiking, horse-riding, rafting, skiing, paragliding, diving, sailing, parachuting... There is no shortage of activities, but they are very poorly organized. Well-marked trails are rare outside the major international networks ("Peaks of the Balkans" in Albania's Alps National Park and the "High Scardus Trail" on Mount Korab). For rafting on the Vjosa or Osum rivers, only one agency is competent in terms of safety: Albania Rafting, based in Berat. Skiing, for its part, requires a good level of ability, as there are almost no ski lifts: you have to ski off-piste, climbing on foot (or by helicopter) in the Albanian Alps or on the Grand Korab. In fact, in the absence of local federations, Albanian extreme sports instructors are rarely qualified. It's essential to ask for a diploma before undertaking a paragliding jump from the Llogara Pass or Mount Dajti, a first flight at Gjirokastra airfield or a dive in Vlora Bay.
