Vladimir 'Vanja' Grbic is a former Yugoslav Volleyball player and a member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame. Grbic is a two time Olympian medalist with a gold medal from the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and a bronze medal from the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
His international victories include a silver medal at the 1998 World Championship and a gold medal at the 2001 European Championship. In addition to his many medals, Grbic has been declared the Best Sportsman of the Year, the Best Athlete in Yugoslavia, the Best European Volleyball Player, and the Best Volleyball Player of the Century in Yugoslavia. Within his community, Vanja was the General Secretary of FIVB athletes commission and now he is President of FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Commission.
Grbic has been supporting Special Olympics in his native Serbia since 2010 as the host of several Volleyball events. In 2011, he attended the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece as well in 2015 in Los Angeles and in 2019 in Abu Dhabi. Since this time, he has hosted Special Olympics athletes at various volleyball clinics and programs .
Grbic is now an active Ambassador for Special Olympics with a primary focus on increasing the availability of global volleyball programs for Special Olympics athletes.
Global Ambassadors
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Alia Atkinson
Olympic Swimmer, Commander of the Order of Distinction -
Andre Drummond
NBA All-Star & Rebound Champion, Philadelphia 76ers -
Apolo Anton Ohno
Olympic Medalist (Speedskating) -
Avril Lavigne
Musician & Philanthropist -
Robert "Bob" Beamon
Olympic Champion, Long Jump -
Brooklyn Decker Roddick
Actress & Model -
Charles Melton
Actor -
Chris Nikic
Special Olympics Triathlete/Motivational Speaker -
Dale Moss
Former National Football League Player -
Dalton Risner
NFL Player, Minnesota Vikings, Offensive Guard -
Damian Lillard
NBA All Star, Milwaukee Bucks -
Devin Booker
NBA All-Star, Phoenix Suns -
Didier Drogba
Legendary Professional Football (Soccer) Player -
Drew McIntyre
WWE Superstar, (World Wrestling Entertainment) WWE -
Eddie Barbanell
Actor & Comedian -
Eddie Yarbrough
Former NFL Player -
Elena Delle Donne
WNBA Player, Washington Mystics -
Emma Broyles
Miss America 2022 -
Erika Ender
Singer/Songwriter, TV Celebrity, Producer and Actress -
Gabriela (Gaby) Dabrowski
Professional Tennis Player, Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) -
Gleyber Torres
2x MLB All-Star, New York Yankees Shortstop -
Hannah Teter
Olympic Champion, Snowboarder -
Hidetoshi Nakata
Former Professional Footballer, ACCA Inc -
Hussein Fahmy
Egyptian Actor -
Ibtihaj Muhammad
Olympic Champion, Fencing -
In-Kyung Kim
Professional Golfer -
Jamaal Charles
Former Football Player at National Football League (NFL) & All Pro Runningback -
Joe Haden
Former NFL Player & All Pro Defensive Back -
John C. McGinley
Actor & Advocate -
Julen Lopetegui
Legendary Soccer Goaltender & current Manager of FC Sevilla -
Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt
New York Times Bestselling Author | Actor, Producer -
Lauren Potter
Actor & Advocate -
Li Na
Former Professional Tennis Player, two time grand slam champion, The first Chinese member of the ITHF -
Lily D Moore
Actress and Model -
Mack Hollins
NFL Player, Atlanta Falcons Wide Receiver -
Maureen McCormick
Actress, Designer, Singer, NY Times Bestselling Author -
Michael Phelps
Olympic Champion, Swimming -
Michelle Kwan
Olympic Figure Skater -
Montell Jordan
International Recording Artist/Pastor -
Nadia Comaneci
Olympic Champion, Gymnastics, Perfect 10 Production, Inc., Special Olympics Global Ambassador -
Nicole Scherzinger
International Recording Artist & Television Personality -
Nigel Barker
Fashion Photographer, TV Personality, Producer/Filmmaker -
Padraig Harrington
Professional Golfer -
Paul Wight
Six-Time WWE World Champion -
Ricky Rubio
Former NBA Player, Cleveland Cavaliers -
Sam Perkins
Olympic Champion, Basketball & NBA Legend -
Dr. Seun Adigun
Summer & Winter Olympian Hurdles and Bobsledding -
Tristan Thompson
NBA Champion, Cleveland Cavaliers -
Vanessa Williams
Singer & Broadway Performer -
Victoria Arlen
ESPN SportsCenter Host -
Vladimir 'Vanja' Grbic
Olympic Medalist, Volleyball -
Willson Contreras
2x MLB All-Star, St. Louis Cardinals Catcher -
Yang Yang
Olympic Champion, Speed Skating -
Yao Ming
NBA All Star & Chairman of the International Basketball Federation Asia (FIBA) -
Zhou Xun
Actress, Singer & Philanthropic Environmentalist -
Zou Shiming
Olympic Champion, Boxing -
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As icons of success from diverse industries such as sports, music, entertainment, media, and beyond, Special Olympics Global Ambassadors generously lend their time, talent, and resources to support the Special Olympics mission. They are inspirational role models who share a belief in the power to come together, break down barriers, and foster a world of inclusion while supporting Special Olympics’ expansion of sports, health, youth, and education programs.
