At the session of the Board of the Handball Federation of Serbia held in Kragujevac on September 1, 2019, the initiative of the Union of Coaches of the Handball Federation of Serbia was accepted that the KUP competition in men’s competition now bears the name of the legendary player and coach prof. dr. Branislav Pokrajac.
The famous „Professor“, who passed away in 2018, among friends known as „Kraja“, began to practice handball as a student of the Fifth Belgrade High School, and played for ORK Belgrade, Red Star and Dynamo.
He made 180 appearances for the national team, scoring 510 goals and winning Olympic gold in Munich in 1972, as well as two bronze medals at the World Championships. As the best left winger in the world, he has twice played for the IHF team.
With him as a coach, Yugoslavia achieved the greatest success in the history of its handball – winning Olympic gold in Los Angeles in 1984, and with the „End“ on the bench, the „blue“ also won silver (1982) and bronze (2000). ) at the World Championships.
He has worked at home and abroad, with clubs as well as with the national teams of Spain, USA, Egypt and Qatar.
He was a professor of handball at the Faculty of Physical Education in Belgrade, gave lectures and seminars to coaches around the globe, and received numerous awards and awards for his accomplished handball skills.
