Irrespective of how lazy you’re, you’re sure to look extremely productive in comparison with these “competitors.”
Seven competitors are hoping to get the coveted title of “Laziest Citizen” in a bizarre annual contest within the resort village of Brezna in northern Montenegro.
The remaining contestants — who’re vying for a grand prize of $1,070 (1,000 euro) — have been lying down on mats for 20 straight days and counting, and so they’re determined to maintain going despite already smashing last yr’s record of 117 hours.
First-time contestant Filip Knezevic, 23, told Reuters that he’s confident he’ll be the one to assert victory.
“Now we have all the things we want here, company is implausible, time goes by quickly,” he said.
Simply sitting up is a violation of the foundations, as is standing, and can immediately eliminate a contestant, though they do get a 10-minute bathroom break every eight hours.
Contestants are also allowed to eat, drink, read and use cell phones and laptops — but they have to do it while lying down.
“All of us feel good, excellent, there aren’t any health problems, they’re pampering us, all we have now to do is to stay lying down,” 2021 champion Dubravka Aksic, 38, told the outlet.
The competition began 12 years ago to poke fun at the parable that Montenegrins are lazy, Radonja Blagojevic, the organizer and owner of the resort explained.
The contestant pool began at 21 people, and Blagojevic said the seven remaining had been lying down for 463 hours on the time of reporting.
The lazy stereotype might be traced back to cultural references reminiscent of the Montenegrin Commandments, a humorous list of unofficial “commandments” which might be often sold as souvenirs that hyperbolizes the Montenegrin lifestyle of leisure and rest, in line with Montenegro.org.