Belgrade, August 10, 1998 - The basketball national team of Yugoslavia, after having won the World's Champion title in Athens, by special JAT's flight arrived, Monday, at 2:05 p.m. at the Belgrade airport.
The "golden" boys were welcomed at the airport by a large crowd of fans, cousins, friends and basketball lovers. The entire area in front of the airport building was fully crowded, because there were many men wishing to greet the world's champions immediately on the runway.
In the name of the Federal Government, the basketball players were greeted by Federal Minister for development, science and environment Jagos Zelenovic, and President of the Basketball Association of Yugoslavia Dragoslav Raznatovic responded with thanks to this reception: "We believed that we shall win the gold, and that is what we did," Raznatovic said.
Federal coach Zeljko Obradovic said that this is his second world's champion title, the first he had won eight years ago as a player, and this one as a coach. "I managed this owing to Duda Ivkovic, who both back then and now again placed full trust in me," Obradovic said upon his arrival at the airport.
Selector of the Yugoslav national team Dusan Ivkovic said that this is the greatest score of the Yugoslav basketball.
Over 150,000 citizens of Belgrade welcomed today about 3.00 p.m. at he plateau in front of the House of the Federal Parliament the world's champions, basketball national team of Yugoslavia, which defeated (64:62) in the finals the national team of Russia in Athens. Two-and-a half hours before the arrival of the "golden" boys, at the specially mounted stage in front of the House of the Federal Parliament, people mass overflowed to greet the players who have excelled all the world's national teams.
"Armed" with fans' equipment - flags, shawls, pictures of their favourites, with appropriate artistic stage program, these mostly young men amused themselves, all until the arrival of national team, when the atmosphere reached a climax.
"It was gorgeous in Athens. We did the job because of which we actually went down there," the team captain Aleksandar Djordjevic said in his first meeting with the fans in front of the Yugoslav Federal Assembly Building.
"You are the world's champions. We played for our people, who have given us this tremendous welcome here," federal coach Zeljko Obradovic said.
The best player of the World Championship in Athens, Dejan Bodiroga was brief in his address to the audience: "The world's best basketball is played here. You have deserved this," Bodiroga said.
"All we did in Athens, we did for you," Zeljko Rebraca, along with Bodiroga, the best player of the Championship, greeted the audience.
Although he did not have much opportunity to play in Athens, centre-forward Nikola Bulatovic also gave a substantial contribution to the winning of the golden medal. "My thanks to the audience, which greeted us in Belgrade. We played for you," Bulatovic said.
The first play-maker of the national team, Sasa Obradovic, shared the joy with the audience with the following words: "These are the nicest moments of my career."
Unobtrusive, but very reliable centre Milenko Topic, much the same as all other players, was very brief: "Thank you for the welcome," his address said.
Centre Dejan Tomasevic first promised that he shall not sing as he had done three years ago, when our national team won the first place at the European championship in Athens, and then said to the audience: "The next meeting is scheduled for the next year at the same place, after the European championship in France."
The other national team players greeted the audience in much the same way, and after this joint "happening" they went into the Parliament House.
