50‑Day Lying‑Down Contest Sets Record in MontenegroCEFR B1
18 Oct 2023
Adapted from Global Voices Central & Eastern Europe, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Hella Nick, Unsplash
The annual lying‑down contest in Donja Brezna ran for the twelfth time and finished on October 5 with a new endurance record of 50 days. Joint winners were 23‑year‑old Lidija Marković, a beautician from Nikšić, and 23‑year‑old Filip Knežević from Mojkovac. The contest began on August 18, 2023, with 21 participants from Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine. Organizers posted on Instagram: "Izležavanje od 50 dana se završilo" and added the English translation.
Organizers said two of twenty‑one contestants completed the event, and Filip left the media win to Lidija. The 50‑day result beat the previous endurance record set in 2021, which lasted nearly five days (about 117 hours). Prize money has risen in recent years, and in 2023 the top prize was EUR 1000, which the winners shared.
Rules allowed contestants to sleep, read, eat and drink, but they could not stand up; toilet breaks were permitted every eight hours. Organiser Radonja Blagojević called it "a very psychological competition," and contestants said they often had fun, played music and sometimes danced while lying down.
Difficult words
- endurance — ability to keep going for a long time
- contestant — person who takes part in a competitioncontestants
- organizer — person or group that plans an eventOrganizers, Organiser
- permit — allow someone to do something under rulespermitted
- psychological — relating to feelings and the mind
- share — divide something so others each get partshared
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Discussion questions
- Would you take part in a lying-down contest like this? Why or why not?
- Do you think it is fair to allow sleeping and reading but not standing? Explain your view.
- What would you do to stay entertained if you had to lie down for many days?
