Born in 1956, Veselin Vukovic has been chosen to replace his successful predecessor Zoran Gajic who led Yugoslavia to the Volleyball elite. The 2003 of the World League will be the first for Vukovic, who took his national team to the 2002 World Championship in Argentina, where the Olympic champions finished a creditable fourth after France slipped in and stole the bronze medal. A former player, who graduated from Faculty of Law and Superior School for Coaches, Vukovic played for Yugoslav clubs of Buducnost and Brskov. He began his coaching career in 1985 with Buducnost.

With another club, Budvanska Rivijera, he won both national titles of the country’s championship and the cup competition. Between 1991 and 1999, he served as coach of the junior national team. Vukovic’s role will be to consolidate his team position among the elite and, perhaps, following last year’s third place, to attempt to claim the absolute top.