Mirko Sandic
Encyclopedia
Mirko Sandić was a Serbia
n water polo
player who led the Yugoslav team to gold at the 1968 Summer Olympics
and silver at the 1964 Summer Olympics
. Overall, Sandic played more than 235 matches for the Yugoslav national team giving over 250 goals.
Mirko Sandic played water polo during the years when his country was a dominant international team. Wearing number 10 and being the tallest and biggest player, Sandic was considered to be the most prominent player contributing to his country’s 1968 Olympic gold medal performance of Mexico City and the 1964 Olympic silver medal of Tokyo.
From the land of Hall of Famer and FINA President Ante Lambasa, Sandic learned to swim at age 4 but it was not until age 16 that he began playing water polo for club Partizan, a member of the second division of the Yugoslav Water Polo League. As a member of this club until his retirement in 1974, Mirko played in over 1000 games and won 11 Yugoslav National Championships, 7 Yugoslav Cups, 5 European Club Championships and several Friendship Tournaments.
In 1972, he received the Presidential Medal of Honor from Josip Broz Tito, the Best Sportsman of Belgrade from the Lord Mayor, the 1971 Sportsman of the Year, and the 1997 Statue of the International Olympic Committee for achievement in the Olympic movement. He also served variously as the President of the Yugoslav Water Polo Federation, a member of the Yugoslavian Olympic Committee, a member of the LEN Technical Water Polo Committee and was the first President of the Serbian Water Polo Association (1998–2006). Sandic was elected to membership into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1999.
His heart was the largest ever registered in the world. After he retired from sports, he was JAT airways representative in Singapore for several years
Sandić coached the national teams of Egypt
, Malaysia, and Singapore
.
Sandić's cause of death was not released by the Serbia
n Water Polo Association.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
player who led the Yugoslav team to gold at the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
and silver at the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
. Overall, Sandic played more than 235 matches for the Yugoslav national team giving over 250 goals.
Mirko Sandic played water polo during the years when his country was a dominant international team. Wearing number 10 and being the tallest and biggest player, Sandic was considered to be the most prominent player contributing to his country’s 1968 Olympic gold medal performance of Mexico City and the 1964 Olympic silver medal of Tokyo.
From the land of Hall of Famer and FINA President Ante Lambasa, Sandic learned to swim at age 4 but it was not until age 16 that he began playing water polo for club Partizan, a member of the second division of the Yugoslav Water Polo League. As a member of this club until his retirement in 1974, Mirko played in over 1000 games and won 11 Yugoslav National Championships, 7 Yugoslav Cups, 5 European Club Championships and several Friendship Tournaments.
In 1972, he received the Presidential Medal of Honor from Josip Broz Tito, the Best Sportsman of Belgrade from the Lord Mayor, the 1971 Sportsman of the Year, and the 1997 Statue of the International Olympic Committee for achievement in the Olympic movement. He also served variously as the President of the Yugoslav Water Polo Federation, a member of the Yugoslavian Olympic Committee, a member of the LEN Technical Water Polo Committee and was the first President of the Serbian Water Polo Association (1998–2006). Sandic was elected to membership into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1999.
His heart was the largest ever registered in the world. After he retired from sports, he was JAT airways representative in Singapore for several years
Sandić coached the national teams of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Malaysia, and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Sandić's cause of death was not released by the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n Water Polo Association.
External links
- ESPN.com death notice on Sandić - Accessed December 27, 2006.
- databaseOlympics