PREDAZZO, Italy — It’s Saturday evening in the Dolomites, and most importantly, it’s still Saturday night. Slovenian fans are pouring into the foot of the ski jump like melting snow.

Milan-Cortina is the closest home Olympic venue, with the border just a three-hour drive east. Here they outnumber Italian support, if not in numbers, then definitely in frank noise. Above them, staggering on the starting bench, is the woman who brought them here.

Nika Plevk is only 20 years old and is already considered the most talented jumper of his generation. She won both the normal and large hills at last year’s World Championships and is the two-time defending champion in the World Cup series. When she won the giant crystal dome, she had trouble lifting it above her head.

She is the second youngest of five children, all of whom are ski jumpers. Her father, Dare, runs his own furniture business and is also an international level referee in the sport. Meanwhile, her older brother Dohmen will make the leap to gold on Monday night. Last year, he became a two-time world champion.

But the Prevc family is not alone in its success. Slovenia has a population of just over 2 million people, half a million fewer than Brooklyn alone, but it still has many athletes at the top of the world’s sport.

Four-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar is the greatest cyclist of the 21st century, and perhaps of all time. His compatriot Primoš Roglič has won five Grand Tours of his own.

Luka Doncic, a native of Ljubljana, is one of the best players in the NBA. The Los Angeles Laker has been named to the All-NBA First Team five times since 2020.

Benjamin Šeško is Manchester United’s starting striker. Jan Oblak is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Janja Garnbret is a 26-year-old 10-time world champion and one of the top competitive climbers in the history of the sport.

Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and sport is a source of pride for this young nation.

“We can’t beat them in the economy, we can’t beat them in the military, but we can beat them in sports,” one blushing supporter shouted at the Predazzo ski-jumping stadium.

And among all the sporting successes, a special place in the psyche of this country is held by the sport of ski jumping. The gold medal here was their first international success in the years immediately following independence.

The chorus echoes through the valley: “He who doesn’t jump isn’t Slovenian.” At the top, Plevuk adjusted his goggles, gave a quick shake to clear his head, and started running.

Slovenia is the only country in Europe with a mountain on its flag, and perhaps you can get a glimpse of the country’s sporting culture. Less obvious are the two wavy lines below, representing the river and the Adriatic coast.

Radoje Milic is head of the exercise physiology department at the University of Ljubljana and is responsible for testing most of Slovenia’s top athletes. For him, this regional specialization is the key to success.

“Slovenia has 12 regions, each with its own affinity,” he explains. “For example, in the north we have facilities for ski jumping and facilities for alpine skiing. And in the south we have martial arts, rowing and very good swimming facilities. And in Ljubljana, it’s all about volleyball, basketball, handball and track and field.”

It is rare for such a small country to have the geography to provide so much support. “We can practice any sport we like,” says one Slovenian supporter. “Except for surfing.”

Perhaps inevitably, Slovenia is also a very active country. Milic said about 60 percent of the population plays sports every week, a lifestyle he attributes to the legacy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire more than 150 years ago, which initiated extensive public health programs.

“It’s a national thing to go out on the weekends,” says Nika’s eldest brother Peter Plevci, himself a former World Cup winner. “It can be just a walk, but physical activity is in our blood.”

This means that Slovenian children generally grow up in a multi-sport culture. Conventional scientific wisdom claims that this improves athletic performance after specialization. For example, before ski jumping, Prevc children were encouraged to participate in soccer, handball, tennis, and track and field.

“We encourage people to challenge themselves,” says Peter. “It could be sports, it could be music school. It doesn’t matter.”

In the end, it comes down to a simple equation. Small countries need to make the most of their talents. Milic estimates that each year, about 1 percent of the population is born with the raw ability to compete at a world-class level in some sport. For example, in the US, 36,000 cohorts are created annually. Slovenia is 180.

Each person needs to find his own sport. A major policy of the post-independence government was to provide good gymnasiums in all schools. Then, in primary school, all children are asked to perform simple exercises (100-meter run, long jump, hanging horizontal bar), and their results are recorded and centrally managed. This will allow national sporting bodies to quickly identify the most talented children.

“But after identification comes challenges,” Milić begins. “We have to know what to do with them – how to support this talent, how to develop their skills. If they have problems running, what mechanical analysis can we do? What kind of training is appropriate?”

Each sports organization has its own national plan when it comes to accepting raw talent. For example, Doncic was recognized for his talent from the age of 12, quickly developed through the club system, and was encouraged to move overseas when his talent outstripped the system at the age of 16.

Gorazd Pogorelčnik, head of the Slovenian Ski Association’s jumping department, is particularly proud of his program.

“There are about 25 ski jumping clubs in Slovenia,” he explains. “All the most promising athletes come to Kranj after completing their basic education. There we have the national center for ski jumping and Nordic combined sports. There are about 60 athletes in the system between the ages of 16 and 19, and they all live together all year round.”

“We started in 2005 and at first we didn’t get any results,” Pogorelchynik added. “Now we are making great progress.”

This is an understatement. Slovenia was the most successful ski jumping country at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Ursha Bogataj, the only country to win multiple gold medals in women’s normal hill and mixed team events.

The Prevc family is a big part of their hopes of repeating this success in 2026. They live near Planica, another famous slope. “This is the most modern center in the world,” explains Peter Prebuk. “For most of the winter, this is the only facility in central Europe where you can jump off big hills. This is really great for us athletes.”

But beyond praising infrastructure, both Peter Prevc and Milic want to point to other parts of the country’s culture.

“The main secret to the development of sports in Slovenia is volunteers,” says Milić. “They might be family, they might be friendly, they might just love sports, but the participation rate is so high and they spend so much time helping the kids develop.”

“They have hobbies, they help the kids, and they’re social,” Peter agrees. “That’s what’s important in life. And it’s very important.”

Today, at Predazzo, volunteers and their clubs fill the base of the slopes. A bus arrived from Bohinj in northwestern Slovenia to support Katra Komar and Nika Vodan, who are from the same town. One of the supporters is dressed as a cow, Bohinj’s mascot. Vodun finished in an impressive 8th place out of 50 female competitors.

But tonight was supposed to be the coronation of their compatriot, the crown princess of ski jumping, Nika Plevk. Before going into the final jump, Prevc was in second place in the standings, just one point off the lead.

she lands. The distance is 99.5 meters, one of the best distances of any competition so far. However, her jump was not good enough for the gold medal. Prebuk looked distraught as he hugged the winner, Norway’s Anna Odin Strom.

It’s still a silver medal, but for both Prevc and Slovenia, tonight marks a rare blow for a country built on excess. However, there is still a chance. Domen is scheduled to board a plane Monday night. Nika is scheduled to compete at Large Hill next Sunday. Both are likely to win team gold.

“We will fight,” one fan shouted earlier in the day. “It’s part of our culture. We just want to prove ourselves.”