Greek basketball player Vassilis Spanoulis was voted on Tuesday Sportsperson of the Balkans for 2009, Bulgaria's state-run BTA news agency has said.

The annual poll, organised by BTA, is conducted among the eight state-run news agencies of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey.

Spanoulis won the vote this year, ahead of Romanian gymnast Marian Dragulescu and Bulgarian boxing champion Detelin Dalakliev.

The list of the 10 best athletes of the Balkans this year also included: Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic, Turkish wrestler Nazmi Avluca, Bulgarian football striker Dimitar Berbatov, Serbian water polo plater Vanja Udovicic, football players Goran Pandev of Macedonia and Stevan Jovetic of Montenegro, and Greece's rowing world champions Christina Giazitzidou and Alexandra Tsiavou.