Today, the Montenegrin Olympic Committee met with our athlete, Marija Vukovic, to sign a scholarship agreement. The scholarship agreement, apart from Ms Vukovic and the MOC President Dusan Simonovic, was signed by the Secretary-General of the Athletic Federation of Montenegro, Milan Madzgalj. Marija is among the 8 athletes whom the MOC has provided Olympic scholarships for. This includes scholarships for athletes until the next Games, which will take place in Paris in 2024. President Simonovic said, after signing the agreement, that the MOC continued with awarding scholarships and supporting all athletes who were candidates for Paris 2024. He emphasised that scholarships were provided earlier through the Olympic Solidarity programme of the International Olympic Committee. "We continue with our scholarships, with our support to Marija Vukovic and all of our athletes. We have provided these scholarships through the Olympic Solidarity programme. As Marija is only briefly in Montenegro, this is an opportunity to meet and sign a scholarship agreement with her, but also to welcome her here in the MOC. Disbursement will follow shortly after signing the agreements with all the athletes. We expect good results from Marija and we have had good cooperation with her for the past ten years. We truly believe that in the period ahead of us, she will delight us with a medal from one of the greatest competitions. She has risen to great heights, and I believe there is still room for improvement. I would like her to shine at the Olympic Games in Paris. It would be the crown of her career and of our cooperation and our desire. The scholarship is $1,400 per month and that is the amount she deserves. Marija received the highest scholarship according to the best results in the individual competition. Marija is one of eight athletes for which we have provided Olympic scholarships and the scholarships range from $600 to $1,400 for athletes in individual sports. Scholarships will be paid in instalments until the end of the Olympic Games in Paris. In collective sports, the Executive Board decided to finance 11 athletes from water polo and women's handball. These national teams have been taking part in the Olympics for years, and we want to motivate them for new successes. For one of the collective sports, we will also provide a special $100,000 grant, which will be implemented during the year." On his behalf, and behalf of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, President Simonovic once again congratulated Marija on her fourth place in the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 and wished her good luck during the new outdoor season. He also thanked her for supporting the "Train with the Olympians" project, which the Montenegrin Olympic Committee is implementing in cooperation with the Olympic Solidarity Fund of the International Olympic Committee. Marija Vukovic said that the Olympic Committee had always been there for her, and had supported her when there had been no results. "The Olympic Committee has always been there for me and supported me when there were no results. I am glad we will continue our cooperation and that my participation in the Tokyo Olympic Games justified the trust invested in me and that I have managed to return to the top. I am glad I have maintained my pace, and I hope that in Paris, with our mutual effort, willingness and desire, we will achieve even better results and crown this period with a beautiful medal. This support means a lot to me, especially since President Dusan Simonovic has never given up on me and he has always supported me. I am glad I can justify that trust. I hope to be able to continue doing so in the future, and that the results will be even better. My will is strong, I am constantly at 195 centimetres, and it feels good. The two-meter mark is the main goal, will it be enough for a medal, we'll see. First, we need to reach two meters."
