Smolyan has given Bulgaria many athletes, among them Olympic medalists, world and European champions. The Olympic medalist Antoineta Frenkeva, who is the first Bulgarian swimmer with two Olympic medals (silver and bronze) in the Summer Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988 back when she was merely 17 years old. Velichko Cholakov won a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics. A proud graduate of the sports school in Smolyan is also Peter Stoychev, a seven-time winner of the swimming marathon world cup. And to solidify Smolyan as the town of talented swimmers is Ivanka Moralieva, the most famous Bulgarian swimmer today - seven gold medals from national championships, third in the world in the swimming marathon. The Smolyan girl Spaska Topalova won two gold medals in the World Winter Games of "Special Olympics - Idaho (USA)"

 Smolyan has two football stadiums, a sports hall, two indoor and one outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, playgrounds for skateboarding, basketball and more.

Smolyan has a long tradition in winter sports. The proximity of the resort Pamporovo offers great opportunities for practicing skiing and conducting various competitions in skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing on national and international ranking. In the winter resort there are 30 kilometers of ski runs and 11 kilometers of cableways and lifts. The ski center offers conditions both for master skiers and beginners, eligible training and equipment. Snowboarding is the other well established winter sport in the Rhodope Mountains and a preferred one by the younger people. The practice of freestyle and downhill skiing are widely practiced in the region.