Vanja Udovičić

Vanja Udovičić, born Franjo Udovičić in Belgrade on 12 September 1982, is a Serbian politician and former professional water polo player who served as minister of youth and sports from 2013 to 2022. His playing career spanned fifteen seasons with Partizan Belgrade, Jadran Herceg Novi, Posillipo Naples, Pro Recco, Mladost Zagreb and Radnički Kragujevac, and he won the LEN Euroleague twice with Pro Recco, in 2008 and 2010. With the Serbian national team he won European junior gold in 2000, world titles in 2005 and 2009, European titles in 2003, 2006 and 2012, Olympic silver in 2004 and Olympic bronze in 2008 and 2012. Born to a Croatian-Italian father and a Serbian mother, he changed his first name to Vanja at fifteen. He graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Organizational Sciences and entered politics as an independent aligned with the Serbian Progressive Party.