Serbian water polo leadership quits over federation chief's dismissal of gold medal achievements
The mass resignation follows President Soro's claim that the European championship victory resulted from "momentary inspiration" rather than years of sacrifice, prompting the team to cite a lack of respect and belittling behaviour.
Serbia's men's Olympic water polo head coach, Uros Stevanovic, and eleven members of the squad have resigned or boycotted the national team following comments by newly appointed federation President Slobodan Soro. The players cited a distinct lack of respect and belittling behaviour as the primary drivers for their decision to withdraw from the federation. This crisis emerged specifically after Soro's election on 29 April 2026, when he described the team's recent European championship gold medal as the result of "momentary inspiration" rather than years of sacrifice.
The dispute centres on Soro's assertion that the national team was no longer at its previous level, a statement that sparked immediate anger among the athletes. In an open letter issued on Friday, the players declared they unanimously decided to withdraw from the national team as long as Slobodan Soro and his administration remain in charge. They emphasised that their gold medals were not the product of momentary inspiration, but were instead earned through years of great sacrifice.
The federation published the players' open letter on its website, noting that the document was signed by seven former and four current national team players. However, the governing body stated it does not wish to participate in what it describes as an abnormal process within the sports body. Slobodan Soro, a former goalkeeper who was appointed federation president on 29 April 2026, has not yet commented on the players' boycott or the contents of the open letter.
Contextualising the severity of the situation, Serbia is a leading water polo nation, having secured gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics and winning the European Championship earlier this year in Belgrade. Despite these significant successes, the team failed to qualify for the upcoming World Cup finals in Sydney. The resignation and boycott were triggered specifically by Soro's remarks dismissing the team's achievements immediately after his election, compounding the disappointment of their failure to secure a spot in the Sydney tournament.
The players' open letter served as a formal rebuttal to the federation chief's narrative, asserting that their achievements were the result of sustained dedication rather than fleeting inspiration. The federation's response, while acknowledging the letter, framed the situation as a deviation from normal sporting procedures. With Soro remaining silent on the matter, the standoff highlights a significant fracture between the administration and the athletes who have represented the country on the world stage.
