This evening, the Water Polo-Swimming Association of Montenegro held its awards ceremony to honor the best performers of 2023.

Petar Tešanović was named the best water polo player, while Marko Pejović earned the title of the best young water polo player. The awards for best swimmers went to Jovana Kuljača and Miloš Milenković.

“The year kicked off with the World Cup qualification tournament for water polo held in Podgorica, which demonstrated that VPSCG is fully capable of organizing major competitions at a high level, despite various restrictions. The knowledge and enthusiasm of everyone involved in the organization brought us numerous accolades from the World Aquatics Federation. Regarding competitiveness, I must highlight that the professional teams for both water polo and swimming had their demands for equipment, preparations, travel, and accommodation met once again,” stated the Association’s president, Đuro Marić, during the ceremony.

This year, representative selections from all age groups participated in more events.

“Following a series of preparatory tournaments, the senior national team competed at the World Championship in Fukuoka. A bit of luck was all we needed for a better outcome than just reaching the quarterfinals. The U20 national team took part in the World Championship in Bucharest, while the U17 national team participated in the European Championship in Manisa. Our U15 national team played in the European Championship that we hosted in Podgorica. Securing silver was a reward for our young players and for everyone involved in organizing the largest water polo competition to date. For the first time in our sports history, 25 countries took part in a continental championship, and 9 games were played over 80 days. The interest among water polo fans was tremendous, filling the stands whenever our boys played. The championship in Podgorica received coverage across Europe, featuring 110 hours of live streaming with over 150,000 views,” shared Marić.

He emphasized that this was the third “highly successful competition organized by our Association in less than a year.”

“Swimmers also excelled at the World Championships in Fukuoka and the Junior World Championships in Israel. Montenegrin swimming achieved exceptional success, with Miloš Milenković becoming the first swimmer to reach the semi-finals of a major competition. The Montenegro Open international swimming meeting was held for the ninth time, and we are looking forward to the jubilee edition next year. Ultimately, I am pleased that we are all moving closer to our goals with each passing year, and I hope for even greater progress in the years ahead,” concluded Marić.

In 2023, we mourned the loss of esteemed VPSCG members Petar Porobić and Dejan Adžić.

“Sadly, we lost two prominent members this year—Petar Porobić and Dejan Adžić. Porobić, the first long-term selector of Montenegro’s water polo national team and director of the Water Polo and Swimming Association, led the team to its first gold medal in collective sports, marking an important chapter in our history,” noted Marić.

He announced that starting next year, one of the awards presented by the Association would be named in honor of Petar Porobić.

“Dejan Adžić served as the long-time secretary general of the Water Polo and Swimming Association and acted as competition commissioner. He was a tireless contributor to our Association for nearly two decades and was also a recognized international water polo referee. In response to his passing, the management board has decided to provide scholarships for his two minor daughters until they reach adulthood, within our available means. I want to take this moment to express heartfelt thanks to our lifelong sponsors. Your support has been crucial in helping us achieve our plans. As we approach the Olympic year, I hope it brings happiness to all and wish success to our athletes in achieving outstanding results,” Marić concluded.

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