Belgrade, December 1, 1998 - In front of the Federal Parliament building, tens of thousands of Belgrade citizens welcomed the Yugoslav volleyball representation, which won the silver medal at the World Volleyball Championship in Japan.
The welcoming party was organized by the Federal Government and there were songs and ovations dedicated to the "silver" boys, the
achievers of the greatest success in our volleyball history.
The members and the leadership of our national team expressed their gratitude for the cordial welcome, pointing out that the silver medal from Japan is "a gift to all the Yugoslavs".
"We are also presenting the medal to all of you, who have gathered today here to welcome us. We promise that we will bring you joy from the forthcoming tournaments" - was the joint message of the Yugoslav volleyball players to the mass of Belgrade citizens gathered in front of the Federal Parliament building.
At the Belgrade airport, the top players of the Yugoslav volleyball and the winners of the silver medal at the 14th World Championship were met by the Federal Minister of Sports, dr. Zoran Bingulac, the Serbian Government Minister of Sports and Youth, Zoran Andjelkovic, the Federal Minister of Telecommunications Dojcilo Radojevic, the Chairman of the Yugoslav Olympic Committee Dragan Kicanovic and other public life personalities.
The Yugoslav volleyball representation
Captain Zeljko Tanaskovic
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We have shown our true face. confirmed our quality, proven that we are a great team, said the Yugoslav volleyball representation Captain, Zeljko Tanaskovic.
"We have achieved the greatest success in the history of Yugoslav volleyball. This is an excellent result, but I consider the silver as the lost gold. We were very near to winning the golden medal, but, with a little bit more luck, we shall achieve that goal at the Sidney Olympic Games", said Nikola Grbic, declared officially the best European volleyball player.
"We had made a high result and shown excellent game. We were recognized by everyone, confirming that we were the World Championship great surprise. I am more than pleased, although we could have perhaps done better", said Gajic.
Serbian Government Minister of Sports and Youth Zoran Andjelkovic did not hide his pleasure with the medal won by our volleyball players.
"The silver shines like gold. Thank you for giving us such pleasure. I wish you many successes yet to come", concluded Andjelkovic.
