Sport in Serbia
Sport in Serbia plays an important role, and the country has a strong sporting history. The most popular sports in Serbia are football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, water polo and handball. Professional sports in Serbia are organized by sporting federations and leagues (in case of team sports). One of particularities of Serbian professional sports is existence of many multi-sport clubs (called "sports societies"), biggest and most successful of which are Red Star (three world titles and seven European in various sports), Partizan (fourteen European titles in various sports), Radnički (three European titles in various sports) and Beograd  in Belgrade, Vojvodina in Novi Sad, Radnički in Kragujevac, Spartak in Subotica. Popular individual sports. Athletics. After folk games, athletics in the modern sense appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. Among the first events on the territory of Serbia was the race held in 1906 on the route Valjevo-Jovanje, and in 1908 the Gymnastics Association "Dusan Silni" founded the first athletic section. The founding of the Serbian Olympic Club in 1910 and the beginning of Serbia's participation in the Olympic Games were important for the further development of athletics. When it comes to important competitions, the  European Open Championship was organized in Belgrade in 1962, the European Indoor Games in 1966, and the European Club Championship for men in 1989, at which the most successful Serbian club, the Red Star, triumphed. In addition, the club recorded another second and third place, both in the men's and women's competition. Among the successful clubs are AK Partizan and AK New Belgrade. When it comes to the 21st century, the largest organized competition on the territory of Serbia is certainly the European Indoor Championship in 2017. From the athletic competitions, the Belgrade Marathon and the memorial rally  in honor of Artur Takač are held every year. The greatest successes of athletes from Serbia includes: Tennis. Recent success of Serbian tennis players has led to an immense growth in the popularity of tennis in Serbia. Novak Djokovic, twenty-time Grand Slam champion, finished in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020 and 2021 as No. 1 in the world. Monica Seles, a former world no. 1, member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, won eight Grand Slam singles titles (while representing FR Yugoslavia). Ana Ivanovic (champion of 2008 French Open) and Jelena Janković were both ranked No. 1  in the WTA Rankings and one Grand Slam champion in mixed doubles (2007 Wimbledon Championships). There were two No. 1 ranked-tennis double players as well: Nenad Zimonjić (three-time men's double and five-time mixed double Grand Slam champion) and Slobodan Živojinović (champion of 1986 US Open). The Serbia men's tennis national team won the 2010 Davis Cup, and 2020 ATP Cup, also two World Team Cup (in 2009 and 2012) while Serbia women's tennis national team reached the final at 2012 Fed Cup. Karate. The most successful competitor in karate is Snezana Peric, who won  gold medals at the World Games, World and European Championships, as well as bronze at the World Championships and five more medals at the European Championships. Slobodan Bitević was the world champion, and he won silver and bronze medals at the European championships. Medals were often won in team competition, and the greatest success was achieved in 2010, when the men's team won gold in kumite. The European Championship was held in Belgrade in 1998, as well as the World Championship in 2010. Other individual sports. Shooting sports. Archery. The Archery Association is an organization that takes care of  the development of archery in Serbia and has 17 members.It was founded in 1955,and has been a member of the International Archery Federation since 1965. Archery was developed in medieval Serbia. Serbian archers appear on the frescoes in the monasteries of Decani and Manasija long before many in the world. In the time of Emperor Dušan, when Dubrovnik recognized his rule, tournaments with bows and crossbows were held. At the Marriage of Dusanova, the archer-knight Miloš Vojnović hit the apple through the ring. The Serbian archers stood out in particular and brought victory over the superior Bulgarian army  in the battle of Velbužde in 1330. There are written data from the period of Stefan Lazarević's rule about holding archery tournaments in the area under the walls of the Kalemegdan Fortress. The biggest success in the last couple of years is the placement of Luka Grozdanović in the quarterfinals of the Mediterranean Games in 2013. Darts. The Darts Federation of Serbia (PFS) is an Association of Darts Clubs that deals with the popularization and organization of competitions in STEEL or classic darts, which has been played in the world for almost a century and has been organized in  Serbia practically since the day this association was founded. Registered in the Ministry of Sports in May 2009 and the founders of the then three registered clubs are: PK Pik As from Apatin, PK Gerila from N.Sad and PK Black Code from N.Sad, in the meantime they are joined by two more clubs (PK Kapitalci from Belgrade and PK SNG Vukovi from N.Sad). After determining the basic goals, the realization of joining the World Darts Federation (WDF) started immediately, and after the positive signalization in September 2009, Serbia became a member of the WDF (conditionally) from 01.01.2010. and full-fledged  on October 27, 2010, and shortly before that, more precisely on October 5, 2010, PFS was recognized as the umbrella organization for darts in Serbia by the Sports Federation of Serbia. In the 2013/14 season, PFS gathers 16 registered darts clubs and over 200 players who took part in competitions, and from season to season, the number of clubs and players is constantly increasing. Shooting. Shooting is one of the oldest sports in Serbia today. The first shooting club was founded in Bela Crkva in 1777, and the Association of Shooting Societies of the Kingdom of Serbia was formed in  1887. Jasna Šekarić is one of the most trophy-winning people in Serbian sports. She won a gold medal (10m air pistol discipline) at the 1988 Olympics. At the same Games, she won a bronze medal in the sport pistol discipline. She continued her success in Barcelona in 1992, Sydney in 2000, and Athens in 2004, winning three silver medals in the air pistol disciplines. In addition, she was a three-time world champion and a four-time European champion, and also broke the world record. Goran Maksimović won a gold medal in the air rifle disciplines at the  1988 Olympic Games, and Ivana Maksimović won silver in the small-caliber rifle three positions at the 2012 Olympic Games. In addition to them, the shooters who won Olympic medals from Serbia are: World records in the triple jump were broken by Vladimir Grozdanović and Mirjana Mašić (European Championship and double championship in air rifles), and in air rifles Srećko Pejović (silver with European Championship) and Ten Sasen-on foot, gold with European Championship Zorana Arunović became the world champion in 2010 in the air pistol disciplines and won a gold medal at the European Games in 2015, while among  the successful shooters are Dušan Efafanić (bronze with the world championship), Nemanja Mirosavljev (bronze with WC, silver and bronze from the European Championship, Damir Mikec (silver at the European Championship, two gold medals at the European Games), Bobana Veličković (two-time European champion), Andreja Arsović (gold at the European Championship and European Games). .. Unsuccessful shooting clubs are Crvena zvezda, Partizan, Policajac and Novi Sad in 1790. The European Championship was held twice in Belgrade, in 2005 and 2011. Water sports. Swimming. Milorad Čavić won a silver medal in swimming (discipline 100 meters butterfly) at the 2008 Olympic Games, and a  gold and a silver medal at the 2009 World Championships. He won ten medals at the European Championships. He broke world and European records several times. Nađa Higl became the world champion in the 200-meter breaststroke in 2009, breaking the European record. Velimir Stjepanović won gold medals in the 200 m and 400 m freestyle at the European Championships in large pools, as well as a bronze medal at the World Championships in 25-meter pools in the 400 m freestyle. Ivan Lenđer, Čaba Silađi, Miroslava Najdanovski and Szebasztián Szabó won medals at the Universiade, the Mediterranean Games, the  European Championship in 25-meter pools, and junior championships. The first World Aquatics Championships in water sports was held in Belgrade in 1973. Among the most famous swimming clubs in Serbia are Partizan, Proleter and Vojvodina. High diving. The Diving Association of Serbia is an organization that takes care of the development of diving on the territory of Serbia. It was founded in 1971 when it separated from the swimming association. There were a maximum of 13 clubs in the association. There are currently six members in the alliance, all from Belgrade. The greatest success of a Serbian competitor at  the international level is the silver medal of Selena Trajković, under the flag of Yugoslavia, from the Mediterranean Games in 1979 in Split in the platform discipline. Siniša Žugić and Vukan Vuletić participated in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Vukan's father, Vukašin Vuletić Vuleta, is the founder of KSV Čukarički and is considered the initiator of the development of diving in Serbia. Belgrade hosted the first World Diving Championship in 1973. Kayak and canoe. The Kayak Federation of Yugoslavia was formed in 1930, and the Federation of Serbia in 1953.Four world and one European championships were held in  Belgrade. The best results in kayaking and canoeing were achieved at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, when Mirko Nišović won a gold medal in the double canoe at 500 (S-2) and a silver at 1000, and Milan Janić won silver in the single kayak. 2) at 1000 m. They were both three-time world champions and won many more medals. Milan Janić children are also kayakers. Mico and Stjepan won a silver medal in the 1000 m at the 1998 World Championships, and Natasa was successful in the junior competitions. Later, they changed their citizenship, Mićo and Stjepan  joined the Croatian national team, and Nataša competes under the Hungarian flag, for which she won a large number of medals. Ognjen Filipović, Dragan Zorić, Bora Sibinkić and Milan Đenandić were trophy four-seater in a kayak. In the 200 m race, among other things, they won gold at the world and European championships. Filipović won medals in the one-seater, but also in the two-seater with Zorić. Dusko Stanojevic and Dejan Pajic won bronze at the 2010 World Championships and silver at the European Championships in 2011 in a two-seater kayak in the 500 meters. silver medals . In 2014, Novaković won a gold medal with Nebojsa Grujić at the world championships in the two-seater 200 m, with the fastest time of all time in that discipline. Then they won a silver medal at the European Championships and a gold medal at the European Games. Antonija Nagy twice won a silver medal at the European championships in the 1000 meter race. The sisters, Nikolina and Olivera Moldovan, won a total of three medals at the world championships, three at the European and one at the European Games. Dalma Benedek, after being an eight-time world and seven -time European champion, has been competing under the Serbian flag since 2013 and in the same year won gold medals at the European Championships in the 500 and 1,000 meters, and then bronze in the 500 meters at the World Championships. , as well as up to two or two bronze medals at the European Championship and gold at the European Games with Milica Starović. Rowing. The Rowing Federation of Serbia, then Yugoslavia, was founded in 1922. Regatta centers in Serbia are on Srebrno jezero, in Belgrade on Savsko jezero, in Čurug on Mrtva Tisa, in Knić on Gružansko jezero.The  European Championships were held in Belgrade in 1932 and 2014. The most successful clubs are Belgrade's Partizan and Crvena zvezda, which are located on Ada Ciganlija. Zoran Pančić and Milorad Stanulov are Serbian rowers, who won a silver medal (M2x) for Yugoslavia in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and a bronze medal in Los Angeles in 1984. The most successful rowers in independent Serbia are Nikola Stojić and Goran Jagar, who were European champions as a duo without a coxswain (M2 -).Nikola Stojić won a gold medal with Jovan Popović at the 2006 World Championships in the doubles  with a coxswain (M2 +), while with Jagar, Popović and Marko Marjanović he won silver in the quadruple with a coxswain (M4 +) in 2007. Stojić also won with Nenad Bedjik. in the discipline, the duo without a coxswain won a bronze (2012) and a gold medal (2013) at the European Championships. Besides them, Goran Nedeljković, Miloš Tomić, Nenad Babović, Dušan Bogićević and Veselin Savić won medals at the biggest competitions. Iva Obradović won two silver medals at the European Championships. Sailing. The organization that manages sailing in Serbia is the Sailing Federation of Serbia. Serbian competitors compete at the  World and European Championships. Currently, the most successful member of the Serbian national team is Luka Tošić, who won a gold medal at the European Junior Championships in the Laser 4.7 class, as well as a bronze medal at the World Championships in the same class. Synchronized swimming. The Synchronized Swimming Federation was founded in 1992. The beginnings of synchronized swimming in Belgrade date back to 1968, when a synchronized swimming section led by Vukašin Vuletić worked at the Tasmajdan swimming pool. The first school and section of synchronized swimming in Serbia was founded in 1973, at the pool "May  25", led by Franz Senica. The school later grew into the first club in synchronized swimming called "25. May ". Until 1984, it was the only type of organized synchronous swimming in Belgrade and the then SFRY. In 1984, the synchronized swimming section "SIRENA" in Kruševac started working. Two years later, in 1986, the club "Banjica" was formed, and in 1989 the club "Tasmajdan" in Belgrade. The first state championship in synchronized swimming was held in 1993. After this championship, clubs are being formed in Sabac, Obrenovac, Nis. Today, 10 clubs are registered in the federation. The first international competition in  which our national team participated was the International Rally in Split, in 1980. The national team made its first participation in the European Championship in 1991 in the discipline of solo and doubles, with swimmers: Snežana Novokmet, Biljana Stošić and Maja Ostojić. The national team participated for the first and so far only time in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona with swimmers Maria Senica, Maja Kos and Vanja Mičet. The first World Championship in synchronized swimming was held in Belgrade in 1973 as part of the World Championship in water sports. Bowling. The national team of Serbia were two -time world champions in bowling in 9 cones and broke the team world record. Vilmos Zavarko is the world record holder in individual competition, and he won four gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the world championships, as well as the first place on the world ranking list. Badminton. The Badminton Association of Serbia is an organization that manages badminton in Serbia. Like clubs, it was founded in 1993. The first competition that was organized was the First Open Open Championship of Yugoslavia in badminton, held in January 1994 in Belgrade. Clubs are located in cities throughout Serbia : Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis, Kragujevac, Pancevo, Subotica, Kraljevo... Serbia made its debut at the European Championship in 2012, which was held in Sweden with six representatives, in men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Serbia was represented by: Milica Simić, Sandra Halilović, Igor Bjelan, Ilija Pavolović, Nikola Arsić and Vladimir Savić. They are also the best Serbian badminton players. Chess. There are 46 grandmasters (active and inactive) among Serbian chess players.At the Chess Olympics in 1950, the Yugoslav national team won a gold medal, and among the Serbian chess players in  the national team were Petar Trifunović and Svetozar Gligorić, who won a large number of medals at other Olympics, as well as at European championships. Among the most successful Serbian grandmasters are Aleksandar Matanović, Milan Matulović, Ivan Ivanišević, Dragan Šolak, Aleksandar Kovačević, Branko Damljanović, Igor Miladinović ... There are 11 grandmasters among the female competitors.The most successful Serbian chess player is the former Minister of Sports and Youth, Alisa Marić, who won two bronze medals at the Chess Olympics, as well as a silver medal at the European Championship in 1999. Novi Sad hosted the Olympics in 1990, as well  as the European Team Championship in 2009. In 1970, a match was held in Belgrade for the first time between the Soviet Union, as the most successful national team, and the rest of the world. Cycling. Doctor and academician Djordje Nesic participated in international bicycle races in Europe as a student. On his initiative, the First Serbian Bicycle Association was founded in 1884, and he was elected president.The first competition race was held in Belgrade in 1896, and the following year the first national championship was held. Every year, the Cycling Federation of Serbia organizes the Serbian Road Cycling  Championship and the international cycling race Through Serbia.The race through Serbia has a tradition since 1939. The most trophy-winning Serbian cyclists are: Mikoš Rnjaković, Aleksandar Nikačević and Ivan Stević. Jovana Crnogorac is the most successful Serbian national team member in mountain biking. Equestrian sport. The Association for Equestrian Sports of Serbia is an organization that manages equestrian sports in Serbia and organizes the state championship. It was founded in 2001. For many years, since 1964, on the first weekend of September, the Ljubičevo Equestrian Games have been held in Požarevac. The Ljubičevo Equestrian Games are a two-day  equestrian holiday for the people of Požarevac and all fans of equestrian sports and equestrian skills. The day before the competition, a procession of all participants in the games paraded through the center of Pozarevac. On that occasion, an oath was solemnly taken, by which the participants are obliged to compete in sports and chivalry. In addition to trotters, gallopers, hurdles and dressage, there are also attractions Ljubičevski višeboj, horse show, vaulting of children - children aged 2 to 6 perform them with the help of their trainers, and the meaning of the exercises is to get used to horses, maintain  balance. Fencing. In Serbia, fencing, as a sport, appeared in the middle of the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, competitors from Serbia compete in public classes, intercity competitions, but also abroad in international competitions. After the First World War, on the initiative of Belgrade swordsmen, the Yugoslav Fencing Federation was founded with its headquarters in Belgrade, and later in Zagreb. The first individual state championship was held in 1928, and the club championship in 1939. During the Second World War, the Federation ceased to operate. After the Second World War, in 1949, the work of the  Alliance was renewed and it was renamed the Fencing Alliance of Yugoslavia. As Yugoslav national team players, Serbian swordsmen competed at the 1960 Rome Olympics, including Aleksandar Vasin and Vera Jeftimijades. She also won bronze medals at the European Championships in Heideheim and the 1971 Mediterranean Games in Izmir. The main organization in charge of fencing in Serbia is the Fencing Association of Serbia. The most successful Serbian swordswoman is Tamara Savić-Šotra, a triple participant in the Olympic Games under the flag of FR Yugoslavia. The greatest success of the Serbian leadership since the independence of Serbia in 2006  is the bronze medal at the Mediterranean Games in Mersin in 2013, which was won by Smiljka Rodić. Gymnastics. Gymnastics appeared among Serbs in the middle of the nineteenth century. The director of the Serbian Great Orthodox Gymnasium in Novi Sad, Djordje Natosevic, introduced classes and descriptive assessment. Stevan Todorović founded the First Serbian Society for Gymnastics and Wrestling in 1857, and in 1860 the first public class was organized, which was his first public appearance. Tereza Kočiš is a Serbian gymnast, who won a silver medal on the ground floor at the 1950 World Championships, and won silver medals  on the beam and two-height loom at the European Championships in 1963, as well as a bronze medal on the ground floor. At the same championship, Mirjana Bilić became the European champion in all-around and on the floor, and she also won bronze on the beam. Belgrade hosted the European Men's Championship in 1963. As for rhythmic gymnastics, Milena Reljin took 5th place at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and Danijela Simić 10. Last time, at the Olympic Games, Serbia had a representative in 1992 in Barcelona, namely Majda Milak and Kristina Radonjic. Golf. The  first golf club in Serbia was founded in 1936, on Kosutnjak, thanks to the initiative of Prince Pavle Karadjordjevic. The built golf course met the highest standards. The development of this elite sport in Serbia was stopped by the Second World War. Only after seventy years, two golf courses were built. Thanks to the newly built golf courses in Serbia, there are more and more fans of this game. For many, playing golf is a recreation, enjoying nature, but also a place where important business conversations take place. The only places where golf lovers can train and compete in Serbia  are the Golf Club "Belgrade", on Ada Ciganlija, and the Club "Center", Zabalj near Zrenjanin. The fact that Serbia has only two professional golfers speaks volumes about how young golf is in Serbia. In 2002, the Golf Club Belgrade was founded on Ada Ciganlija and a luxurious course was built on an area of 35 hectares with nine holes, according to all world standards. Only four kilometers away from the center of Belgrade, in the most beautiful part of Ada Ciganlija, is the Golf Complex. Golf Center Žabalj is located along the main road Novi Sad - Zrenjanin, municipality of Zabalj . It is 100 kilometers away from Belgrade, and 30 kilometers from Novi Sad. It covers an area of 38 hectares. Within the complex there is a golf course with nine fields 2.7 kilometers long. The course has all the necessary standards for organizing golf tournaments. Squash. The Yugoslav Squash Association was founded in August 2001 in Belgrade. Immediately after its founding, JSA became a member of the European as well as the World Squash Federation. The Squash Association of Serbia was also established, as well as the Squash Association of Belgrade. Like any beginning, this one was difficult, but with  the help of many fans of this sport, SQUASHLAND, the first squash club in Serbia, was opened in Belgrade in 2003. Squashland, which is located in Pionirski Grad, has two squash courts within Košutnjak and is considered a symbol of the beginning of squash in Serbia. The first national championship of Serbia was held in October 2004, and immediately after that championship, the first national team was formed, which already participated in the European Nations Cup in Slovenia in November. Numerous international tournaments were held in Squashland, such as the Serbian Open, the Belgrade Trophy, the Squashland Open... In 2006 , after the separation of Montenegro, the name of the Association was changed. From JSA, SAS (Squash Association of Serbia) was formed. That same year, two more clubs were opened, one in Subotica and one in Novi Sad. The first tournament at Glas Court was held in Belgrade, which was set up on Nikola Pašić Square. This tournament was organized with the great help of the City of Belgrade, the Republic Sports Administration, the SQUASHLAND club and the Belgrade Squash Association. The organization of this competition also marked the beginning of a new promotion of this sport in Serbia. Table tennis . In table tennis, Serbian athletes are the most successful in the doubles game. Ilija Lupulescu won a silver Olympic medal in men's doubles in 1988, and Jasna Fazlić and Gordana Perkučin won a bronze medal in women's doubles. Zoran Kalinic won one world title and 3 European doubles titles. He has 3 more silver medals from the world championships. Aleksandar Karakašević was the European champion in mixed doubles three times, in 2000, 2005 and 2007, all three times in a pair with the Lithuanian Ruta Pakauskiene. He won five more medals at the European Championships, including a bronze  medal in the individual competition in 2011. In 2003, Silvija Erdelji won a bronze medal in the individual competition at the European Championships, as well as in doubles with her sister Anamarija Erdelji. In 1981, Novi Sad hosted competitors at the 36th World Table Tennis Championships (SPENS). Belgrade hosted the European Championship in 2007. Triathlon. In Serbia, the triathlon was held unofficially for the first time in 1988 in Kragujevac. The first national championship was organized in Ada Ciganlija in 1993. The most successful triathlete from Serbia is Ognjen Stojanović. He achieved the greatest success at the World Aquathlon Championships  in 2012, where he won a bronze medal. Weight lifting. The organization that manages weightlifting in Serbia is the Weightlifting Federation of Serbia. Medals in this sport have been won in the past at the Mediterranean Games. Serbia last had a representative at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Miodrag Kovačić. Currently, the most successful member of the national team is Silvana Vukas, a silver medalist from the World University Championships. Belgrade hosted the European Championship in 1980. Motorsports. Milos Pavlovic is a Serbian motorist, the only one with a license to compete in Formula 1. He was the champion  in Nissan's world light series, and in 2007 he won third place in the Formula Renault series with two victories. He competed in Formula 2 in 2009 and took 9th place, he was on the podium twice. As a member of Ford's team, he competed in the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2011 and 2012. Dušan Borković won the title of champion in the European Mountain Racing Championship in 2012, winning eight of the eleven races.A year earlier, he took third place. As a representative of the NIS Petrol Racing Team in the European Touring Cup car  in 2013 took third place in the overall standings, and since 2014 competes in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. The Belgrade Grand Prix was the last Grand Prix motorcycle race, the forerunner of Formula 1, before the start of World War II. The only domestic competitor, Boško Milenković, took the fourth place. Popular team sports. Football. Football is the most popular sport in Serbia, and the Football Association of Serbia with 146,845 registered players, is the largest sporting association in the country. Dragan Džajić was officially recognized as "the best Serbian player of all times" by the Football Association  of Serbia, and more recently the likes of Nemanja Vidić, Dejan Stanković, Branislav Ivanović, Aleksandar Kolarov and Nemanja Matić play for the elite clubs of Europe, developing the nation's reputation as one of the world's biggest exporters of footballers. The Serbia national football team lacks relative success although it qualified for four of the last five FIFA World Cups. Serbia national youth football teams have won 2013 U-19 European Championship and 2015 U-20 World Cup. The two main football clubs in Serbia are Red Star (winner of the 1991 European Cup and 1991 Intercontinental Cup) and Partizan (finalist  of the 1966 European Cup), both from Belgrade. The rivalry between the two clubs is known as the "Eternal Derby". In addition to the triumph of the Red Star, the Serbian football players who won the Champions League with their clubs are Velibor Vasović, Nemanja Vidić, Dejan Stanković and Branislav Ivanović, and in women's football Jovana Damnjanović. The best scorers of the season were Miloš Milutinović, Vladica Kovačević, Silvester Takač, Borislav Cvetković, Milinko Pantić. Bora Milutinović is one of the most successful coaches in the world. He led a large number of world clubs and national teams, and participated  in the World Cups with five different national teams. The House of Football, the sports center of the Football Association of Serbia, was opened in Stara Pazova in 2011, with open and closed fields, a hotel, a swimming pool and a gym. The sports center prepares football teams of all ages, organizes schools and camps for young players, coaches and referees are being trained. Basketball. Serbia is one of the traditional powerhouses of world basketball, as Serbia men's national basketball team have won two World Championships (in 1998 and 2002), three European Championships (in 1995, 1997, and 2001), one  FIBA Diamond Ball (in 2004), and two Olympic silver medals (in 1996 and 2016) as well. The women's national basketball team won the European Championship twice in 2015 and 2021 and Olympic bronze medal in 2016. Serbia men's national 3x3 team have won four FIBA 3x3 World Cups (in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018), and three FIBA 3x3 Europe Cup (2018, 2019 and 2021). A total of 31 Serbian players (three with an NBA ring) have played in the NBA in last three decades, including Nikola Jokić (2021 NBA Most Valuable Player and a four-time NBA All -Star), Predrag "Peja" Stojaković (three-time NBA All-Star) and Vlade Divac (2001 NBA All-Star and Basketball Hall of Famer). The renowned "Serbian coaching school" produced many of the most successful European basketball coaches of all times, such as Željko Obradović, who won a record 9 Euroleague titles as a coach. The first foreign coach in the history of any NBA team is Igor Kokoškov. KK Partizan basketball club was the 1992 European champion and ŽKK Crvena zvezda women's basketball club was 1979 European champion. Miloš Teodosić (2010) and Nemanja Bjelica (2015) received the award for the most  useful player in the Euroleague, and Predrag Danilović, Žarko Paspalj, Zoran Savić, Željko Rebrača and twice Dejan Bodiroga were named the most useful players in the final tournament. The best scorers of the Euroleague were Predrag Danilović, Predrag Stojaković, Miroslav Berić, Miloš Vujanić and three times Igor Rakočević. Radivoj Korać, Dragan Kićanović, Vlade Divac, Zoran Slavnić and Dražen Dalipagić , who is also a member of the NBA Hall of Fame, were admitted to the FIBA Hall of Fame. Aleksandar Nikolić and Ranko Žeravica were received from the coaches, and Obrad Belošević from the basketball referees. Volleyball. It is believed that  Serbs first played volleyball in 1918, when Serbian soldiers did so on the Thessaloniki front. In 1924, several American sports were demonstrated in Belgrade and Novi Sad, including volleyball. Serbia is one of the leading volleyball countries in the world. Its men's national team won the gold medal at 2000 Olympics, silver and bronze medal at the World Championship, the European Championship on 3 occasions (in 2001, 2011 and 2019) as well as the 2016 FIVB World League. The women's national volleyball team have won 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, European Championship three times (in 2011 , 2017 and 2019) as well as Olympic silver medal in 2016. The most famous volleyball players in Serbia are: Andrija Gerić, Vladimir and Nikola Grbić, Ivan Miljković. Miljković was named the most useful player of the European Championship in 2001 and 2011, and Jovana Brakočević in 2011. Tijana Bošković was named by the FIVB and CEV as the most useful volleyball player of the European Championship in 2017 and the World Championship in 2018.  Vladimir Grbić is a member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame, as well as the Volleyball Hall of Fame together with his brother Nikola. Handball . The Handball Federation of Serbia is a house that organizes domestic leagues and manages the women's and men's handball national teams of Serbia. According to some data, handball was introduced in Serbian schools in 1930, but it reached popularity only in the 1940s. He gained supporters during work actions. The Handball Federation was founded in 1949. Serbia hosted the 2012 European Championship in men's competition. At this competition, the Serbian national team won second place and a silver medal, and Momir Ilić received the award for the most useful player. In the same year, the women's  championship was organized, and the next world championship for women, at which the Serbian national team won silver. RK Metaloplastika has twice been the champion of the Champions League. It is the most trophy-winning club in the national championship.Among the most successful clubs in the Serbian Super League are Red Star and Partizan. Dragan Skrbic were named IHF Player of the Year.One of the most famous players from the so-called of the golden generation is Mile Isaković. In 1988, Svetlana Kitić was named IHF Player of the Year, and in 2010 she was named the world 's best handball player in history. Andrea Lekić is the winner of the award for the best handball player in the world in 2013. Water polo. In Serbia, water polo was originally played on the territory of Vojvodina, the first matches were played in Sombor at the beginning of the 20th century. Students who have studied in Hungary, Austria and Germany, where this sport has already been developed, are most responsible for the arrival of water polo. The Serbia men's national water polo team is the second most successful national team after Hungary in the history of sport, having  won two Olympic gold medal (in 2016 and 2020), three World Championships (2005, 2009 and 2015). The last 3 FINA World Cups in 2006, 2010, 2014. A record 12 FINA World Leagues and eight European Championships in 1991 (the Croatian federation boycotted), 2001, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018, respectively. VK Partizan has won a seven European champion titles, VK Bečej and VK Crvena zvezda one. The most famous players of the golden age of Serbian water polo were: Igor Milanović, Aleksandar Šoštar, Vladimir Vujasinović, Aleksandar Šapić and Vanja Udovičić. Vanja Udovicic in 2010 and Filip Filipovic in 2011  and 2014 received FINA awards for the best water polo players in the world. Igor Milanović and Mirko Sandić are members of the House of Famous Water Sports. Other team sports. Beach volleyball. The Volleyball Federation of Serbia is in charge of the development of beach volleyball in Serbia. Beach volleyball was first played in Serbia in the early 1990s, when Ivan Bugarcic, then a Red Star junior, and his friends decided to have fun and stay in shape during the summer by pruning trunks and hanging a net. In the same year, a tournament was held at the Novi  Sad Strand. A year later, the Volleyball Association of Belgrade launched an initiative to create a section within the association, which was also the beginning of organized work. The first championship was held in 1997, and a year later the tournament in San Diego was won. There are currently two competitions in Serbia: the Championship and the Cup, which are played according to the tournament system. Since 2008, the European Masters Tournament has been organized in Novi Sad, with the participation of players from several different countries. The most successful competitors at the moment are Stefan Basta and Igor Tešić , the champions of the Balkans, who also achieved notable placements at the Masters in Novi Sad. Rugby. One of the most popular team sports in the world, rugby has a long history in Serbia. The first written trace of Serbs playing rugby dates back to the First World War. On April 11, 1918, in front of 10,000 spectators in Edinburgh, Serbian rugby players played the first international match called Serbia against the selection of the British Dominions and recorded a victory. Rugby appeared in Serbia after the First World War. The first Serbian rugby club Beli Orao was founded in  Šabac in 1919. However, rugby has still not managed to break through among the most popular sports in Serbia. The attention of the media and the financial support of the state and Serbian businessmen are given to some other sports, which are not nearly as popular in the world as rugby. The rugby 15 national team of Serbia competes in the South 2 division of the European Rugby Championship. There are currently a dozen active amateur rugby clubs in Serbia, which are divided into two leagues. Rugby 13 is more popular with rugby in Serbia. The rules of this game  are much simpler, than the complicated fifteen. The rugby 13 national team of Serbia is the sixth power in Europe. The Serbian rugby 13 team was about to qualify for the Rugby 13 World Cup, which will be held in 2017 in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. There are currently about twenty active amateur rugby clubs in Serbia. Serbia has a national team that represents it in this Olympic sport. The great successes of the Serbian "Rugby 7" include winning second place in Zagreb in 2015 at the Division B tournament and winning first place in Division B  in 2011 in Latvia. Winter sports. Serbian sports athletes are regular participants in the Winter Olympics, but as of 2022 Serbia has not yet won a single medal. The first organized skiing was in 1922 in the winter-mountaineering section of the Serbian Mountaineering Association, and in the sports sense in 1929, when a cross-country skiing competition was organized on Avala. In 1935, the Mountaineering Association built a mountain lodge on Kopaonik, which was used by skiers from Belgrade, and the following year the first championship in alpine disciplines was held. According to some data, skating has been practiced  in Novi Sad since the end of the nineteenth century. It was originally skated on frozen natural water surfaces. The first artificial ice rink was built in 1890.The best Serbian skater is Trifun Živanović. He won medals at prestigious international competitions, was a participant in World and European Championships. He participated in the Olympic Games in Turin in 2006, which no Serbian competitor managed to repeat. Among skaters, Helena Pajović and Ksenija Jastsenjski achieved more significant results. Jelena Lolović is the most successful alpine skier. She won medals at the Winter Universiade. Nevena Ignjatović, a gold medalist in slalom at  the 2013 Universiade, is also a successful alpine skier. The largest ski centers in Serbia are located on Kopaonik, Zlatibor and Stara Planina. Milanko Petrovic achieved the greatest success in cross-country skiing in Serbia. He won a gold medal at the 2013 Universiade in the 10 km freestyle. At the European Biathlon Championships in 2012 in the sprint discipline, Milanko Petrović took 9th place, and at the 2013 World Cup race in Oberhof, Germany, he won the first points, which are also the first points of Serbia ever at the World Cup and the most valuable. the result of  Serbian biathlon. At the Universiade in 2013, he won a gold medal in the 10 km sprint and a bronze medal in the individual 20 km. The most successful and most trophy-winning Serbian snowboarder is Nina Micic. She won silver at the 2007 European Youth Olympic Festival in Haki, which is also the only international medal in winter sports under the Serbian flag, participates in the World Cup and regularly wins points.The first snowboarding park in Serbia was opened on Kopaonik in 2012.The Serbian bobsled team competed in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, where it finished 25th . and Vancouver in 2010, where he was 18th.The best place at the European Championships was 10th place in 2013 in Austria. The most successful Serbian bobsledder is Vuk Radjenovic, who is currently among the top 50 in the world. Among the most trophy-winning clubs in the national hockey championship are Partizan, Crvena zvezda and Vojvodina. Since the founding of the Serbian Hockey League, no more than 5 clubs have participated. Partizan won every championship, and counting the Yugoslav championships, he was the champion 16 times. Partizan also triumphed twice in the regional Slohokej league. Five ski jumps were  built on the territory of Serbia. They were located on Avala, Košutnjak, Fruška gora, Goč and Kopaonik. Currently, there is only a ski jump on Goč, but it is not in use either. In 2005, Belgrade hosted the World Junior Speed Skating Championships. Athletes with disabilities. The Paralympic Committee of Serbia is a national Paralympic Committee that organizes and sends athletes to competitions adapted for competitors with disabilities, primarily the Paralympic Games. The chairman of the committee is Zoran Mićović. The most developed throwing disciplines are in athletics. Zeljko Dereta became the Paralympic champion in shot put in 1984, breaking  the world record, and he also won a silver medal in shot put and a bronze medal in discus throw. Nada Vuksanović won gold (with a world record) and silver in shot put and gold in discus throw. Draženko Mitrović won two silver Paralympic medals in discus throw, as well as five silver medals from world championships and other throwing disciplines, he was a three-time European champion and broke the world record. Tanja Dragić also broke the world record, and in 2011 she became the champion at the world championships, and the next Paralympic ones in javelin throwing. Zeljko  Dimitrijevic broke the world record in shot put in 2012 and won the Paralympic gold. Milos Grlica won a bronze medal in javelin throw in 2004, and he was also the European champion. Slobodan Adzic won Paralympic medals in racing disciplines, silver in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters, two bronze medals in the 400 and one in the 5,000 meters. In 1988, the SFRY national team won a gold medal in goalball. Miroslav Jančić was a member of the team, but he also competed in athletics and won gold in pentathlon, as well as silver in javelin throw and bronze  in fast walking. The most successful competitors in table tennis are Svetislav Dimitrijevic, winner of two gold and one silver Paralympic medal, Zlatko Kesler, one gold, two silver and bronze, world and European champion, Borislava Peric, two silver medals from 2008 and 2012, as well as gold from European Championships, Zoran Gajić two bronze medals from the Paralympic Games. In archery, Ružica Aleksov won two gold and one silver medal at the Paralympic Games, Simo Kecman was the Paralympic champion, and Radomir Rakonjac won a silver medal. Drago Ristic and Sinisa Vidic broke world records. The greatest successes in swimming  were achieved by Nenad Krišanović, who won gold and two silver medals, and Jovo Cvetanovski was the world champion. Lazar Filipović won a silver medal at the 2012 World Paratriathlon Championships. National leagues. Football: Basketball: Volleyball: Handball: Water Polo: Ice hockey: Rugby football: National sports teams. Football: Basketball: Volleyball: Handball: Water polo: Tennis: Rugby league: Rugby union Ice hockey: International (men) Achievements. Mitropa Cup. Tournament: Serbia national football team results: Serbian football clubs in European competitions: Basketball. International (men). Serbia men's national basketball team: Serbia men's national under-20 basketball team: Serbia men's national under-19 basketball team Serbia  men's national under-18 basketball team Serbia men's national under-17 basketball team Serbia men's national under-16 basketball team Serbian men's university basketball team Serbia men's national 3x3 team Serbia men's national under-18 3x3 team International (women). Serbia women's national basketball team: Serbia women's national under-20 basketball team: Serbia women's national under-18 and under-19 basketball team: Serbia women's national under-16 and under-17 basketball team: Volleyball. International (men). Serbia men's national volleyball team: Serbia men's national under-21 volleyball team Serbia men's national under-19 volleyball team International (women). Serbia women's  national volleyball team: Serbia women's national under-20 volleyball team: Serbia women's national under-18 volleyball team: Handball. International (men). Serbia men's national handball team: International (women). Serbia women's national handball team: Water polo. International. Serbia men's national water polo team: Serbian water polo teams in junior categories won medals in the following competitions: Tennis. Players Grand Slam Singles-Doubles-Mixed Doubles Anti-doping agency. The Anti-Doping Agency of the Republic of Serbia (ADAS) deals with the control of doping in sports in Serbia. Tests athletes at domestic and international competitions in the country, as well  as when there is no competition, performs analyzes, determines the penalty after a possible violation of the rules, gives recommendations and advice to combat doping, etc. In November 2005, the Serbian Parliament adopted law on the prevention of doping in sports, which established the agency.In addition to athletes, ADAS also tests horses in equestrian sports. The agency punishes athletes who use funds from the illicit list, as well as coaches who give them to athletes. Penalties are most often in the form of a ban on competition for a certain period of time, sometimes for life, and there are  also fines. Serbian supporter associations. Serbian fan groups have a long history. They follow their clubs at home matches, but also abroad. Many groups are extreme. Serbian fan groups are connected in fraternal relations with fans from Russia and Greece. Interrupted matches: Serbian fans hold the record for the largest visit to the EuroCup Basketball Highest attendance records: Serbian fans hold the record for the largest visit to the Euroleague Season averages Euroleague: Rivals of Serbian clubs and national teams. Largest derbies: Belgrade derbies: Others derbies: National teams: