Vanja Udovicic
Encyclopedia
Vanja Udovičić (Serbian Cyrillic: Вања Удовичић, ʋâɲa udɔ̌ʋit͡ʃit͡ɕ), (born 12 September 1982 in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, SFR Yugoslavia) is a professional Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
player.
Career
Since 2007, Udovičić's been playing defense for Italian club Pro ReccoPro Recco
A.S.D. Pro Recco are an Italian water polo club from Recco in Liguria.Pro Recco was founded in 1913 as Rari Nantes Enotria...
where he arrived after playing two seasons for CN Posillipo from Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. He started his career in water polo club Partizan
VK Partizan
Vaterpolo klub Partizan Raiffeisen is a waterpolo club from Belgrade, Serbia. VK Partizan is one of the sport clubs in Serbia that are part of sport society Partizan. Partizan's home terrain is the pool which is part of the Sportski centar Voždovac na Banjici complex...
from Belgrade and then moved on to VK Jadran
PVK Jadran
PVK Jadran CKB is a water polo club from Herceg Novi, Montenegro. It takes part in the Montenegrin Water Polo Cup.-History:PVK Jadran was founded in the summer of 1926 as a merger between two water polo clubs, Bijela Vila and Spjaža. It was then registered at the Swimming Federation of Yugoslavia...
from Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi is a coastal town in Montenegro located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg Novi Municipality with around 33,000 inhabitants...
.
In June 2010, Pro Recco club leadership served Udovičić with an ultimatum in an effort to force him to switch his national team allegiance and start playing for the Italian national team. He refused, choosing to continue playing for the Serbian national team. As a result, Pro Recco terminated his contract. His decision to remain loyal to his country resulted in a wave of positive reaction in the Serbian press, while Serbian Water Polo Association president publicly thanked Udovičić for refusing to cave into the Italian pressure.
Following the 2010 European Championship
2010 Men's European Water Polo Championship
The 2010 Men's European Water Polo Championship was the 29th edition of the bi-annual event, organised by the Europe's governing body in aquatics, the Ligue Européenne de Natation...
that was held in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, the representatives of local club HAVK Mladost
HAVK Mladost
HAVK Mladost is a Croatian water polo club from Zagreb. It is part of the Mladost sports society. The club was formed in 1946 and is currently coached by Veselin Đuho.It was voted as the world's best water-polo club of the 20th century.- Famous players :...
approached Udovičić about joining their club. On 16 September 2010, he was unveiled as the new the club's new acquisition on a one-year contract.
With Serbian national team he has won gold on World Championship in 2009, 2005, European gold in 2003 and 2006, European gold for juniors in 2000 and Olympic silver in 2004.
Clubs
- Partizan BelgradeVK PartizanVaterpolo klub Partizan Raiffeisen is a waterpolo club from Belgrade, Serbia. VK Partizan is one of the sport clubs in Serbia that are part of sport society Partizan. Partizan's home terrain is the pool which is part of the Sportski centar Voždovac na Banjici complex...
- Jadran Herceg NoviPVK JadranPVK Jadran CKB is a water polo club from Herceg Novi, Montenegro. It takes part in the Montenegrin Water Polo Cup.-History:PVK Jadran was founded in the summer of 1926 as a merger between two water polo clubs, Bijela Vila and Spjaža. It was then registered at the Swimming Federation of Yugoslavia...
- CN Posillipo 2005-2007
- Pro ReccoPro ReccoA.S.D. Pro Recco are an Italian water polo club from Recco in Liguria.Pro Recco was founded in 1913 as Rari Nantes Enotria...
2007-2010 - Mladost ZagrebHAVK MladostHAVK Mladost is a Croatian water polo club from Zagreb. It is part of the Mladost sports society. The club was formed in 1946 and is currently coached by Veselin Đuho.It was voted as the world's best water-polo club of the 20th century.- Famous players :...
2010-