Four representatives of Serbian volleyball have confirmed their participation in the upcoming benefit match for Teodor Salparov, titled "One Career – One Legend". The event will take place on September 5 at the capital's "Arena 8888" hall.
World legends on one stage in Sofia
The group of Serbian athletes is led by Sydney 2000 Olympic champion Ivan Miljković. He is a two-time European champion (2001, 2011) and the only player with four MVP awards in the World League. On the club scene, Miljković has been a champion in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Qatar, and in 2002, he triumphed in the Champions League with Lube Banca (Macerata). Currently, Miljković holds the position of first vice-president of the Serbian Volleyball Federation and heads the Athletes' Commission of his country's Olympic Committee.
Among the participants is also Marko Podraščanin, a middle blocker with three Olympic appearances and a EuroVolley champion (2011, 2019). He was part of Serbia's triumph in the World League in 2016. Podraščanin spent nearly two decades in the elite Italian league and is currently the sports director at the Italian club "Lube Civitanova".
The other Serbian representative is Uroš Kovačević, a two-time European champion who won titles in the U18 and U19 categories, being named MVP in both instances. In the same year, he also triumphed with the men's national team under the leadership of coach Igor Colaković. Completing the group is Aleksandar Atanasijević – an opposite hitter and 2016 World League champion. Atanasijević is the official successor to number 14 after Miljković and is the husband of the former captain of the Bulgarian national team, Elitsa Vasileva.
Charity purpose and live broadcast
The proceeds from the special VIP tickets for the event will be directed to the "Sunny Children" foundation, which plans to build a home for children with special needs. Regular tickets are offered at prices between 20 and 40 euros via the "Eventim" and "Buy Tickets BG" platforms.
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The benefit match will be broadcast live on bTV. The event coincides with the eve of the European Men's Volleyball Championship, in which Bulgaria is one of the hosts.