The Montenegrin Olympic Committee (MOC) and the Rotary Club of Kotor, as part of the "Together to Paris 2024" initiative to acquire modern medical equipment for the rehabilitation of sports injuries, organized an auction of sports equipment at the Hard Rock Cafe in Podgorica. Twenty-two valuable sports items were auctioned, including water polo gear from the Yugoslav national team of the late 1980s used by celebrated Montenegrin athletes Mirko Vičević and Nenad Vukanić, caps worn by Montenegrin flag bearers at the Olympics in Beijing and Tokyo by Veljko Uskoković and Draško Brguljan, a ball signed by all participants of the 2022 World Water Polo Championships, jerseys of legendary Montenegrin handball players Bojana Popović, Katarina Bulatović, and Jovanka Radičević, national and club jerseys worn by football team key players Stevan Jovetić, Stefan Savić, and Adam Marušić, national team gear of basketball centers Nikola Vučević and Bojan Dubljević, a Dallas basketball jersey of Luka Dončić, a ball signed by celebrated basketball player Vlado Šćepanović from his FIBA induction, and jerseys of the 2002 volleyball Olympic champion with Yugoslavia, Igor Vušurović, the first captain of Montenegro, and finally, a Montenegrin flag signed by all participants in the 2021 Tokyo Games. The auction was conducted in a true competitive spirit within the great atmosphere of the Hard Rock Cafe. As a result, the total amount of money collected for acquiring medical equipment amounts to ___, and the campaign will continue until May 10th. By then, all interested parties can contribute donations to account number 530-25989-34. "I am pleased that, with the help of our friends from the Rotary Club, sports fans, national associations, and others, we have managed to raise significant funds to soon acquire the most modern medical equipment. This equipment will enable our athletes to recover faster and better from injuries and thus facilitate their journey to the Olympic Games in Paris and other future competitions," said Dušan Simonović, President of MOC. Last year, the Rotary Club of Kotor and MOC organized a wine auction in the Šipčanik wine cellar, and significant funds were also raised during the Kotor Carnival at a sports equipment auction. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all the athletes who generously donated their jerseys, bags, caps, tracksuits, and more. Your support is invaluable and truly embodies the spirit of Montenegrin sports. We also extend our gratitude to everyone who participated in the auction and those who made donations via the bank account. Your contributions have made a significant difference in our fundraising efforts. The organizers of the "Together to Paris 2024" campaign extended special thanks to the athletes, sports legends, and national sports federations who contributed to the campaign with their gifts of equipment and significant memorabilia from their careers and through donations to reach the final goal. The modern medical equipment, which will be procured thanks to these donations, will be available to all athletes from Montenegro participating in international and domestic competitions.
