The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, PhD, congratulated the President of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee (MOC), Dušan Simonović, on the 15th anniversary of the MOC's admission to the International Olympic family. "Dear Mr. President of the National Olympic Committee of Montenegro, dear friend Dušan Simonović, dear Olympic friends, As you celebrate your 15th anniversary, I want to congratulate all of you in the Montenegrin Olympic Committee. Today, you have every reason to be very proud about the past 15 years. This is the period in which Montenegrin athletes, with their performances, have firmly placed Montenegro on the global sporting map. Beyond the field, you bring sporting joy to the Montenegrin people through many programs, spreading the Olympic spirit through the society. With a successful organisation of the Games of the Small States of Europe in 2019, you showed the world how strong the Olympic spirit is in your beautiful country. And I still remember my visit, those glorious days, and your beautiful land and beautiful city, seeing great competitions as well as the joys of athletes who enjoyed your wonderful hospitality. For all these reasons, your anniversary is a turning point. Not just for you, but for the entire Olympic community. That is why I want to thank the entire team of the National Olympic Committee, under the leadership of my dear friend Dušan Simonović, for everything you do to promote sports to everyone in Montenegro. As you look to the future, let me reiterate that you can always count on the IOC as a partner on your side, to jointly promote sports and our common Olympic values, such as solidarity and peace. Because, only together, can we live our new Olympic motto faster, higher, stronger…together! In this Olympic spirit of solidarity and peace, I wish you a wonderful anniversary celebration and all the best for the next 15 years and may years after that. All the best."
