Momčilo Tapavica

Having won a medal at the Olympics in Athens in 1896, Momčilo Tapavica set the foundations of the Serbian sports nation.

Over a century ago, one Serb competed in four disciplines – athletics, wrestling, weight lifting and tennis, at the reopening of the Olympic Games in Athens.

His name was Momčilo Tapavica, a man supported in his Olympic feats by the king of Serbia, Aleksandar Obrenović.

Although the representation of this country officially participated for the first time in 1912, one Serbian won his medals 16 years before.

Were it possible to determine the date of birth of the “sports nation”, for Serbia it would certainly be the year of 1896 and the first modern Olympic Games.

On that occasion Serbia didn’t officially have its representatives, but the Serbian anthem was sung and the flag was raised at the Olympic stadium in honor of the king of Serbia king Aleksandar Obrenović, the only foreign Head of State who attended the opening ceremony of the first modern Olympic Games.

The king was accompanied by major Živojin Mišić, the future duke and celebrated commander of Serbian army in the liberation wars and the World War I (1914-1918).

Momčilo Tapavica competed in the Olympics in Athens for the representation of the Kingdom of Hungary. However, today his success is considered the success of Serbia as his birthplace in Vojvodina was a part of the Kingdom of Hungary, and Austria and Hungary had their own separate teams.

This architect from Vojvodina not only competed in several disciplines, but he also won the third place in tennis. He was the fourth in wrestling and sixth in weight lifting. Due to an injury he withdrew from competing in athletics and weight lifting (with one and with both hands).

Being muscular and athletic, he was considered to be the strongest man in his town. One of his friends wrote in his memoirs that only the injury had stopped him from winning more medals, because he “had overestimated his strength”.

The only foreign Head of State who attended the opening ceremony of the first modern Olympic Games was the king of Serbia Aleksandar Obrenović. That event had a great influence on the development of the sporting spirit, and the successes of Momčilo Tapavica paved the way for today’s Serbian sportsmen and women.

After the Olympics, Momčilo didn’t play the sports professionally any more. He became the famous architect and he designed the building of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad, today considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.

The Olympics in Athens were the beginning of the sport as we know it today. The team spirit and professionalism of today’s sport was conceived at those times. Back in 1896 only fourteen countries had their representatives at the Olympics. The Kingdom of Hungary had 13 representatives and Momčilo Tapavica won one of total six medals for this country.

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