ŽUNIĆ HOSTS RECEPTION FOR 1972 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLISTS

BANJA LUKA, JULY 31 /SRNA/ - Derventa Mayor Igor Žunić hosted a reception today for a delegation of the Yugoslav golden generation of handball players from the 1972 Munich Olympics, saying that they had left an indelible mark on the history of handball and sport.

The delegation included former handball goalkeeper from Derventa Abas Arslanagić, Hrvoje Horvat from Bjelovar, Zoran "Tuta" Živković from Niš, Milan Lazarević from Belgrade, and Slobodan Karalić from Banja Luka.

Žunić said that Derventa would remain a city of sport and a place that respects sporting achievements, the City Administration said.

"Winning an Olympic gold medal is one of the greatest achievements an athlete can accomplish, and it should be a source of pride for all of us," Žunić said.

The "golden" handball generation will attend the opening of the exhibition "Ako and Friends – Golden Olympians, More Golden Than Gold" at the Cultural Centre this evening, starting at 7.00 pm.

"Thanks to handball legend and Derventa native Abas Arslanagić, today we have the honour and opportunity to host the renowned generation of Olympic gold medallists in our city," said Fadil Pelesić, one of the authors of the book "Abas Arslanagić – With His Technique and Speed, He Was Far Ahead of His Time."

He invited citizens to visit the exhibition, but also to take advantage of the unique opportunity to meet and capture a moment with true sporting legends whose names are written in golden letters in the history of sport.

The aforementioned golden Olympic handball generation included, among others, Milan Lazarević, Branislav Pokrajac, Zoran Živković, Petar Fajfrić, Nebojša Popović, Abas Arslanagić, Milorad Karalić, Hrvoje Horvat, Zdravko Miljak, Miroslav Pribanić and Zdenko Zorko.