'No Sitting Up': This Country Hosts Its Annual 'Laziest Citizen' Contest

The remaining contestants have been lying down on mats for 20 straight days and have already smashed last year’s record of 117 hours

People participate in annual 'laziest citizen' contest

Source : @Z923Peoria/X

An unusual competition is taking place in Brezna in northern Montenegro. The resort village is holding its annual "Laziest Citizen" contest that kicked off last month. The competition requires participants to lie down on mats for almost 24 hours a day. The event is now in its 26th day and only 7 out of the 21 competitors remain in the race to win the grand prize of $1,070 (approximately Rs 88,000.)

The remaining contestants have been lying down on mats for 20 straight days and have already smashed last year’s record of 117 hours, reported the New York post.

"All of us feel good, excellent, there are no health problems, they are pampering us, all we have to do is to remain lying down," said 2021 champion Dubravka Aksic to Reuters.

While, Filip Knezevic, 23, a first-time contestant from the northern town of Mojkovac said he is confident of winning the event.

"We have everything we need here, company is fantastic, time goes by quickly," he said.

According to the rules, standing or sitting is not allowed and amounts to immediate disqualification, but contestants are allowed to take 10 minutes break every eight hours to go to the toilet. However, they are allowed to sleep, eat, drink, read books, use their phones and laptops.

Radonja Blagojevic, the organiser and owner of the resort while speaking to Reuters said the contest in the tiny Adriatic country started 12 years ago to mock a popular myth that labels Montenegrins as lazy.