Aleksandar Šapić
Aleksandar Šapić, born on June 1, 1978 in Belgrade, is a Serbian politician and former professional water polo player. He has been the mayor of Belgrade since June 24, 2024, after previously serving in 2022–2023. He was the president (mayor) of the New Belgrade municipality from 2012 to 2022.
As a water polo player, Šapić represented Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Serbia. He won Olympic medals three times: bronze in 2000 (Sydney), silver in 2004 (Athens), and bronze again in 2008 (Beijing). He scored 981 goals in 385 appearances for the national team.
Politically, he left the Democratic Party in 2014, founded the Serbian Patriotic Alliance (SPAS) in 2018, and merged SPAS into the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in 2021, becoming its vice-president. In 2022 he was elected Belgrade mayor by a slim majority, but he resigned in September 2023 and served as caretaker. After snap elections, his coalition won again, and he was re-elected as mayor in 2024.
Šapić has faced several controversies, including criticism for not attending a 2023 school shooting commemoration and allegations of corruption tied to a 2023 audio recording about a city contract. He resigned as mayor in 2023 and returned after the 2024 election. In September 2024 he drew criticism for proposing a monument to Draža Mihailović, a controversial World War II figure. In December 2024 he announced he would not run in the 2027 elections.
Philanthropy has been a major part of his life. He founded the Be Humane humanitarian foundation in 2014, which raises funds to help with therapy and medical care. By 2016 he donated all the medals from his water polo career to auction to support Be Humane, and the foundation has raised over a million euros.
Šapić is married to Milica and they have two sons. He lives in Belgrade and speaks Serbian, Russian, Italian, and English. His education includes studies at Megatrend University.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:02 (CET).