BELGRADE, Aug. 12 (XINHUA) -- Thousands of fans and sports enthusiasts gathered outside the Belgrade City Assembly on Monday to welcome Serbia's Olympic medalists returning from Paris, including Olympic gold medalist Novak Djokovic and multiple NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
Before stepping onto the balcony of the assembly building, the Serbian Olympic medalists, their teams, coaches, and the president of the national Olympic committee, Bozidar Maljkovic, attended a reception at the presidency, where they were received by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
"The whole country of 7 million people felt pride and immense joy as we climbed to the peak where nothing seems unreachable... You gave us strength, and thank you for that," Vucic told the medal winners in his speech.
In addition to Djokovic's historic tennis gold and the bronze-winning basketball team, the welcoming ceremony celebrated the water polo team, achieving their third consecutive gold medal, the golden 10m air pistol mixed pair Damir Mikec and Zorana Arunovic, and Aleksandra Perisic, who secured a silver medal in Taekwondo.
Maljkovic highlighted that 29 individuals at the reception carried Olympic medals, calling it a remarkable achievement for a country of Serbia's size and resources-ranking 27th in the Olympic medal count, within the top 15 percent.
Water Polo team captain Nikola Jaksic thanked the state and fans on behalf of all the athletes.
"Thank you for your support and for being with us from the beginning, and I hope we will have many more opportunities to make you happy," Jaksic said.
Captain of the Serbian basketball team, Bogdan Bogdanovic, also addressed the fans from the balcony, expressing gratitude for their unwavering support throughout the tournament, not just for the basketball team but for all Serbian athletes.
"Thank you for tonight. We really enjoyed it," said Bogdanovic. ■
