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Serbia and
Montenegro - Pool C (Scroll down for Spanish)
Although anecdotes exist to indicate that Volleyball had already appeared in this Balkan country as early as 1918, there is documented proof that in 1924, Californian William Whiland officially introduced the game in 1924.
More than two decades later, the Yugoslav Volleyball Federation, which has now become the Volleyball Federation of Serbia and Montenegro, was one of the 14 FIVB founding members. The national team has participated in international competitions since 1951, when on that occasion they finishing fifth at the European
Championship. In 1956 the Yugoslavs contested their first World Championship in France, placing
tenth. Yugoslavia have qualified six times for World Championships, achieving their best result, the silver, in 1998 in Japan. Last year in Argentina they finished fourth after France deprived them of the bronze
medal. But it is at the Olympic tournaments that Yugoslavia has really shown what they are capable of. They placed sixth in Moscow (1980), improving at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta to win the bronze, and finally, triumphing in Sydney 2000, the result of the team's hard work under the guidance of the tranquil-natured, but steady handed coach Zoran Gajic. It was Gajic who took the talented team and made them soar high into the ranks of the world elite and following one second place and four bronze medals at European championships, Gajic's squad claimed the European title in 2001 in the Czech Republic, which they will defend in Germany this year.
The Olympic champions stayed in the limelight last year reaching the World League finals and with Ivan Miljkovic and Andrija Geric shining bright they overwhelmed Italy in the match to determine the bronze medal for their first podium in this elite
competition. Yugoslavia had finished fourth in the two previous editions of the World
League. The team, now under the guidance of Veselin Vukovic, will contest the 2003 edition under their new name, Serbia and Montenegro. The team, currently third on the FIVB World ranking, will play the Netherlands, Cuba and China in Pool C.
Squad: Jokanovic (Tourcoing Lille , FRA); Vasic (Crvena Zvezda
Galax, YUG); Majdak (Budvanska Rivijera Budva,
YUG); Janic (Vojvodina Novolin Novi Sad, YU); Mitrovic (Partizan Mobtel Beograd,
YUG); Boskan (Iraklis Thessaloniki, GRE) ; Mester (Copra Ventaglio Piacenza,
ITA); Mijic (Budvanska rivijera Budva, YUG); Grbic N. (Asystel Milano,
ITA); Grbic V. (PAOK Thessaloniki, GRE); Perosevic (Budvanska rivijera Budva,
YUG); Geric (Icom Latina, ITA); Vujevic (Icom Latina,
ITA); Miljkovic (Lube Banka Macerata, ITA); Ilic (Buducnost Podgorica,
YUG); Knezevic (Vojvodina Novolin Novi Sad, YU); Markovic (Budvanska rivijera Budva,
YUG); Vusurovic.
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YUG/Serbia and Montenegro
When
Yugoslavia made their appearance at the qualifications
for the European Championships in 1995, no one
expected that the team, emerging from years of
sanctions that stopped them from competing at
international level, would take home the bronze medal.
Since then they have solidified their position as one
of the world's best teams and their clear aim for
their sixth appearance at the World League is to take
the title. The depth of the side is best remembered by
recalling that their determination, legendary fighting
spirit and skill gave them the biggest prize of all -
the gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, a feat
they repeated one year later when they took the
European title in Ostrava, Czech Republic. Yugoslavia
took the bronze medal at last year's World League,
their best performance in five appearances, and
finished fourth at the World Championship when France
denied them a podium place.