Marko Panić

A professional Bosnian-Herzegovinian handball player, he plays as a right back and has been a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team since 2010. He began his career with RK ‘Borac’ Banja Luka and has played for clubs such as ‘Chambéry,’ ‘Montpellier’,  ‘Azoty-Pulawy,’ ‘Meshkov Brest,’ and is currently playing for the Polish club ‘Wisła Płock.’

Born in Jajce in 1991, Panić made his debut in the first team of RK ‘Borac’ at just 16 years old. Throughout his rich career, he has been recognized for his excellent defense and his ability to play with both hands.

Marko was born on March 10, 1991, in Jajce, but moved to Banja Luka for his education. His father was an amateur athlete and always tried to show Marko as much as possible and teach him. Although Marko came to Banja Luka primarily for school, his father enrolled him in the handball school of RK Borac. He often emphasizes that his father is the one most responsible for his involvement in handball and that he has always been a great support and motivation for his progress.

Marko started playing handball as a boy in the youth section of the Handball Club ‘Jajce’ in his hometown. His talent was quickly recognized by the officials of RK Borac Banja Luka.

Borac is the club where Panić made his mark—he made his debut in the first team of RK Borac at just 16 years old. He spent a total of eight years with this Banja Luka club, both in the youth categories and in the first team.

After excellent performances in the Borac jersey, he moved to the French club ‘Chambéry’ in the summer of 2012, which was the national vice-champion at that time. Chambéry was very satisfied with Panić’s performances, highlighting his great defensive play and the fact that he was one of the few players who could shoot with both his left and right hands.

The first months in Chambéry were excellent for Marko Panić; he was well accepted by the club officials and his teammates. During this period, he received significant help from members of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team Nebojša Grahovac and Edin Bašić, as well as Croatian player Damir Bičanić.

In 2017, he left the French ‘Chambéry’ and went to Poland, joining the club ‘Azoty-Pulawy.’ He stayed at this Polish club until 2019, after which he joined the Belarusian club ‘Meshkov Brest’—a club that has been a long-time participant in the Champions League.

Panić recorded his first appearance for the senior national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the age of nineteen. Prior to that, he qualified for the European Championship in the Czech Republic with the cadet national team in 2008. The Bosnian-Herzegovinian cadets finished in eleventh place at that competition, but it did not remain one of Marko’s best memories, as he suffered a severe injury at that time, which kept him off the court for an extended period.

He had to miss the historic appearance of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team at the World Championship in Qatar in 2015 due to an ankle injury.

In 2019, the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team qualified for the European Championship for the first time in history, and Panić, along with Mirsad Terzić, Benjamin Burić, Ivan Karačić, Ibrahim Haseljić, Vladimir Vranješ, Alen Ovčina, Nikola Prca, Senjamin Burić, Dejan Malinović, and others, was included in Bilal Šuman’s squad for this European competition.

Greatest Achievements:

–  Marko Panić qualified for the European Championship with the cadet handball national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2008.

–  In 2018, he was named the top scorer of the club ‘Azoty-Pulawy.’

–  In 2019, he helped the senior national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina qualify for the European Handball Championship in 2020 and 2024.