The captain of "Reprezentacija" talks about the team's collective spirit, as well as the future of Serbian volleyball

The popular Bata Atanasijevic belongs, along with Uroš Kovačević and Marko Podraščanin, to the group of the last 'surviving' veterans who participated in the Olympic Games in London in 2012. After 12 years, not without some suffering, the Serbian national team will try to write other important pages in the volleyball almanac, where the name of Yugoslavia is visible, engraved in the Olympic honor list, whose descendants are Bata and Potke.

Interviewed bymozzartsport.com, the opposite hitter, who experienced a great epic in "Perugia", talks about the realized dream of 'entering again' the Olympic village and what it means to play in the Olympics. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

UNIQUE EXPERIENCE: "Most of the other teammates in the national team don't know what a unique event this is. There is no better feeling and no better time than to go to a major competition again and have a unique experience again. We wanted to reach the Games, but it was not easy at all due to the qualification system. We sat down and asked ourselves if we had any chance, especially after the first weekend of the VNL. It's no surprise if you know that the players in this national team play in the best clubs in the world."

AboutIGOR KOLAKOVIC: "We joined the national team when he was the coach, and we deserve to finish our careers under his leadership. We don't have information, but we think that Igor will also retire regardless of the result, simply so that the whole generation will leave together."

I LOVE THE NATIONAL TEAM: "Overall, I spent nearly 15 years in the national team. I have had good and bad moments. There were also difficult periods, but I love the national team. My friends are there... These three or four months have never been difficult for me... Of course, my place, as well as that of other teammates, is not eternal and young people should be given a chance to continue the tradition."

AboutSRECKO LISINAC: "We are in constant contact. He is part of the team – our biggest fan. Not a single match can pass without him contacting us. His recovery is going well, it would be important for him to be with us. We would certainly have been favorites for one of the medals... Sooner or later Srecko will return to the national team and the younger players will have something to learn from him."