Sport in Albania (1945 – 1990)

Albanian communist regime considered sport and physical education of the people as one of the pillars which sustained firmly the ideology and the power, preparing from one decade to an other the next generations who would fight willingly "any time when homeland needed". This was a similar approach with that of many dictators of other countries.

In the Albanian schools every day lesson started by doing daily gymnastic exercises in the classroom and exactly students together with soldiers were the main protagonists in the big sports activities organized in honor of the dictator Enver Hoxha. Beside physical education, which spanned from primary schools up to the most remote cooperatives in villages, was given a special attention and investment aslo to the proper development of sports. The begining of sports in Albania of the after World War II are marked in 1945, when it was created the Albanian Sports Federation. Only a year later in 1946 was inaugurated the first stadium in Albania: the national stadium of "Qemal Stafa” and in that same year, Albania was declared Balkan champion in football.

In 1948 the first school of gym was opened (The Training School for Gym in Tirana) and a year later was created the Committee of Physical Culture and Sports of Albania. In 1957, was established the organization of the Union of Sportsmen and Gym men of Albania. In the sports education field was made an important step in 1958 when it was created the Higher Institute of Physical Education "Vojo Kushi”. A major event was the creation in 1959 of the Albanian Olympic Committee, that year when Albania was accepted in the ranks of the International Olympic Committee. One of the most important sporting events during the communist regime in Albania were the National Olympic Games. Each event was celebrated with the publication of a festive stamp. The first National Olympic Games took place in Albania in 1959. From year to year, the Albanian athletes partecipated with dignity also in international confrontations, in the Balkans, in Europe and World Wide, often receiving gold medals or silver ones in many sports like: athletics, shooting, volleyball etc. Because athletes had the opportunity to travel abroad, were also among those figures followed for security checks by “Sigurimi”, the communist secret police. In Albania's communist regime, there were several sports which in certain periods were banned after being labeled as violent sports such as Boxing.