ABSTRACT
The ongoing and never-ending socio-political transition in Balkan countries resulted in the decline of democratic practices and the strengthening of autocratic regimes with a strong clientelist network. Within this political constellation, this chapter examines the governance of the sport movement in Montenegro in the midst of a pandemic, New institutionalism, a combination of historical and rational choice institutionalism, represents the theoretical orientation of this work, examining a variety of pressures and their repercussions on the governance of sport. The chapter locates both external (political) and coercive pressures and mimetic processes that dominantly shape governing bodies and decision-making within the sport movement both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, it suggests that sport governance is constituted of an illiberal system based on informal networks with limited representation and participation of sport stakeholders (namely athletes and coaches), with a monopoly over power distribution. Furthermore, the adopted rules and regulations serve to legitimise undemocratic tendencies while maintaining a strong political grip over the sport movement.
