European Taekwondo Championship in Sarajevo between Coronavirus and Understanding of BiH Authorities

(Patria) - Taekwondo sport in Bosnia and Herzegovina has experienced expansion in the past few years. A united federation, excellent results of competitors in international competitions, organization of a prestigious G1 tournament, transfer of Croatian national team members under the flag of our country, and obtaining the organization of European competitions in five categories. All of these are the results of the work of the federation, which is made up of young and professional people.

"A young and organized team is the result of success. The state federation is led by President August Orlović, the General Secretary Vedran Ćubela is doing an excellent job, there is Belmir Berberović, who is otherwise the fifth referee in Europe according to rankings, and external associates for digital and media, as well as sports projects, are also engaged," emphasizes Samir Šarić, President of the Organizing Committee of the European Competitions, and also the President of the Taekwondo Federation of the Federation of BiH, at the beginning of the conversation.

Šarić himself is the initiator and driving force behind most of the projects, and he points out that the results of the Executive Board for WT have been recognized by the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thus, at the "Athlete of the Year" event, the Taekwondo national team was declared the best in the country.

"A lot has been done, the Federation has financed trips to major competitions in the past period, organized the G1 tournament for the first time, which is otherwise a qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games, we have improved cooperation with the media, developed digital channels, and are currently working on creating a modern website. I am sure that we are among the three most popular martial arts, as shown by the awards from the Olympic Committee of BiH and other institutions," says Šarić.

It is not unusual for competitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina to compete in numerous sports for other countries, especially those in the region. However, when competitors from Croatia decide to compete for BiH, it is a rare occurrence. Thus, the transfer of Marija Štetić and Dinko Šegedin attracted public attention.

"Our most talented competitor is Nedžad Husić, who, until the transfer of Štetić and Šegedin, was the only one with a chance to compete in the Olympic Games. However, Nedžad has only recently become a senior, and his chances of qualifying are, although possible, very demanding. On the other hand, Dinko Šegedin is among the TOP 20 competitors on the world ranking list, which places him among the seeded players and gives him realistic chances to qualify for the Olympic Games. The same applies to Marija Štetić, who is ranked 15th on the world senior ranking list. If all of them qualify, Bosnia and Herzegovina would have three representatives in Tokyo," Šarić points out.

The newly emerged situation with the COVID-19 pandemic has halted numerous competitions, and the vast majority have been canceled or postponed to next year. Thus, the Olympic Games have been postponed to 2021, but not the European competitions that are supposed to be held in October in Sarajevo. Bosnia and Herzegovina and the city of Sarajevo are expected to host the European Championship for Seniors, the European Championship for Juniors, the European Championship for Veterans, the Gen24 Tournament Finals, and the G1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Open.

"We worked and lobbied for two years to obtain the organization of European competitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is an exceptional project that, in addition to popularizing and developing Taekwondo in our country, brings a large number of visitors, considering that 1,600 competitors will come to Sarajevo and that over 7,000 overnight stays are expected in the capital of BiH during the seven days the competition lasts. Of course, due to the pandemic, all options are now open, but ETU (European Taekwondo Union) has not yet canceled or postponed the competition."

However, the coronavirus is not the only challenge in organizing this competition. Much in BiH sports depends on the understanding and support of the authorities. This is also the case with the European Taekwondo competitions.

"We have paid half of the hosting fee for the organization, but we are obliged to pay the other half by June in order to definitively confirm our seriousness and maintain our rating with ETU. This situation will disrupt many sports clubs, but given that it is the European Championship and other events, we hope that our authorities will show understanding. The events are scheduled to be held from October 26 to November 3, and there is a real possibility that they will still take place, but if we do not make the payment, we will find ourselves in a hopeless situation," Šarić said at the end of the conversation.