Skopje, 23 June 2023 (MIA) - President Stevo Pendarovski awarded a Medal of Merit on Friday to five outstanding athletes who have left a lasting legacy in sports and made great contributions to the affirmation of the Macedonian sport and country.

A medal was awarded to outstanding basketball athletes Lazar Lečić (84), and posthumously Blagoja Georgievski Bushtur, who died in a car accident in 2020 at the age of 69, as well as volleyball legend Vladimir Bogoevski (69), longstanding head coach of the mixed martial arts national team, Nase Nasev (70), and the current president of North Macedonia's Taekwondo Federation and head coach, Borche Kostovski.

"Although we are a small nation in terms of numbers, we can be proud of our top athletes who achieve top results in individual and collective sports. I already had the opportunity to award the highest state awards to some of our winners of the most valuable Olympic medals. Today, five more of our athletes, sports workers, coaches, and head coaches, who have contributed to athletes' success, will receive a Medal of Merit," President Pendarovski told Friday's ceremony on the occasion. 

Noting the contributions of each of the five Macedonian top athletes, Pendarovski said that Lečić is one of the most significant people for the development of basketball in North Macedonia.

"With his energy and knowledge of basketball, and especially with his charisma, Lečić left a lasting legacy in Macedonian sports," the President added.

Referring to the late 'Rabotnichki' basketball player and head coach, Blagoja Georgievski, as an extraordinary talent, Pendarovski said that Bushtur had reached the greatest heights, and won the biggest competitions.

Recalling some of the great successes of Macedonian volleyball, President Pendarovski stressed that as a nation, we are happy to have a world-class player and successful coach such as Vladimir Bogoevski.

"Mixed martial arts is our most successful sport. Behind the greatest successes, including the first Olympic medal of a Macedonian athlete, is the legendary coach Nase Nasev," President Pendarovski said.

Acknowledging Dejan Georgievski's success in taekwondo at the Tokyo Olympics, Pendarovski highlighted Borche Kostovski's role as head coach.

"Georgievski's silver in Tokyo united the nation and made people happy, and the person most deserving for this achievement is the coach, Kostovski," noted the President during the awarding ceremony at his office. ssh/nn/