Some of the biggest names in the history of Serbian volleyball will be among the special guests at Teodor Salparov's testimonial event. On September 5th at the capital's "Arena 8888", four renowned Serbian national team players will take part in the spectacle "One Career – One Legend", dedicated to Bulgaria's long-serving libero.
Leading the star-studded group is Sydney 2000 Olympic champion Ivan Miljkovic. The legendary opposite hitter was one of the symbols of the golden generation of Serbia and Montenegro, and subsequently of Serbia, with whom he won an Olympic title, two European titles, and numerous accolades from the World League and World Championships. At club level, Miljkovic left a significant mark in Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Qatar, triumphing in the Champions League with Lube in 2002. Currently, he is the first vice president of the Serbian Volleyball Federation and a member of its Executive Board, as well as the chairman of the Athletes' Commission to the Olympic Committee of Serbia.
Marko Podrascanin will also be part of the foreign stars' team. The former middle blocker, who recently ended his playing career, is now the sports director of Lube Civitanova – the club where brothers Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov will play in the new season. Podrascanin is a European champion with Serbia in 2011 and 2019, a World League trophy winner in 2016, and a participant in three Olympic Games. In his club career, he won Italian titles with Lube, Perugia, and Trento.

Among the guests will also be Uros Kovacevic – one of the most skilled outside hitters of his generation. He has two European titles with Serbia, and in 2019, he earned the MVP award at EuroVolley. A curious fact is that as early as 2011, Kovacevic won the U19 World Championship and the U18 European Championship, being named MVP in both tournaments, before triumphing with the senior national team at the European Championship in the same year.

The lineup is completed by Aleksandar Atanasijevic, who for years was the main opposite hitter for the Serbian national team and the successor to the iconic No. 14 after Miljkovic. He also played a key role in the European titles in 2011 and 2019, as well as in the World League success in 2016. For Bulgarian fans, Atanasijevic is well-known also due to his family connection with former national team captain Elitsa Vasileva.

Teodor Salparov's testimonial event will take place on the eve of the Men's European Championship, for which Bulgaria is among the hosts, and the event will be broadcast live on bTV.
The organizers have also released VIP tickets for sale. Proceeds from them will be donated to the "Sunny Children" foundation, which works towards building a home for children with special needs. In addition to seats immediately next to the playing court, the VIP package includes a limited edition bottle of wine, specially created for the testimonial event, as well as access to the official after-party at the National Historical Museum in Boyana, where guests will be able to meet the legends of world volleyball.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov