Introduction

This book presents an analysis of the interplay of sport and politics and sports policy-making in the Western Balkans countries. Therefore, the book will contribute to the current literature by offering a regional insight and, as such, is considered the first book of its kind on this theme. The foundation of this book lies in researching sports policy-making and politics that shape the system of organized sport. This work represents the first attempt to gather experiences from ex-Yugoslav countries – Croatia as an EU country bordering those countries with EU aspirations: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Montenegro. The study uses the Most Similar System Design (MSSD) to identify similarities and differences between the selected and observed countries (Landman & Carvalho, 2016). As this approach involves similar countries, it provides a more predictable context for understanding sports policy and politics within the Western Balkans. The basis for this lies in shared cultural patterns, similar economic development, and sociopolitical features. However, following the dissolution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the countries developed a number of divergent attributes.