If normal, everyday racism isn’t enough for you, it’s time for you to get acquainted with Balkan racism. While the Balkan wars may have ended on the ground, they carry on online, taking to the comments section of random YouTube videos to fight about whether Kosovo is part of Serbia, claim that Albert Einstein was actually Albanian and demand that the U.N. recognize Bulgaria as “Best Nation #1 Greatest.”


The unloved stepchild in all of these arguments is Montenegro. With a relatively small population of just over 600,000 people, Montenegro is home to beautiful, sun-soaked beach towns and rolling green hills that lead to towering mountains. It’s also, according to stereotypes, home to the laziest people of the Balkans.


Rather than be hurt by this accusation, one village in Montenegro has taken the slight in stride. If they’re the laziest people, they’re going to find the laziest among them — a true couch king set to rule the nation (from a horizontal position).



The game is simple: Step one, get in bed. Step two, do not leave.


“According to the rules, competitors are accommodated at holiday resort, where they are given three meals a day and have the right to go to the toilet every eight hours,” writes Samir Kajosevic for Balkan Insight. “Their health is monitored and their only responsibility is to remain lying down. Standing or sitting results in immediate disqualification.”


The competition has been happening in the Montenegrin village of Brezna for over 20 years, with this year’s competitors breaking previous records by staying in bed for over 30 days. The prize for this competition is 1,000€, and it’s attracted people from not only Montenegro, but Serbia, Ukraine, Russia and more.


While many Montenegrins might be trying to fight the lazy stereotype and disprove those 10 Montenegrin Commandments that go viral every few years, competitions like this show that at the very least, Montenegrins have a sense of humor. Unlike those darn Croats, am I right? (I’m just kidding, please don’t hurt me).