Foundation "With Champions" Presented: Goal is to Build a Hall and Training Center for Athletes with Disabilities

(Patria) - Athletes with disabilities deserve conditions for higher quality sports engagement and achieving top results.

The Foundation "With Champions" was officially presented to the public in Banja Luka today, which will focus on improving conditions for athletes with disabilities, including launching an initiative to build a sports center, i.e., a hall and accompanying infrastructure adapted for athletes with disabilities.

In addition, the Foundation "With Champions" will provide all possible forms of support to athletes and persons with disabilities, as well as promote the values and principles of inclusion and equality.

"Republika Srpska and Banja Luka are lacking infrastructure where athletes with disabilities can train effectively. Besides accessibility and conditions, the problem is the general availability of sports halls and securing training slots for all athletes, especially for athletes with disabilities.

As clubs and athletes, we are all ready for greater results, but now a breakthrough is of essential importance, which means starting to build new infrastructure. We have very good predispositions to be successful in world and Olympic competitions, but we are hindered by a lack of resources," stated the President of the Foundation, Ognjen Ranisavić.

The Foundation also aims to provide concrete and direct support to athletes in terms of providing necessary equipment. Vlado Švraka, a basketball player in the Wheelchair Basketball Club "Vrbas" from Banja Luka and a member of the Foundation's Board of Directors, spoke about the importance of such a facility for wheelchair basketball players.

"We do not have accessible halls for athletes with disabilities in our city and surrounding area. The goal is to change that, and I don't think it would be difficult or technically problematic. Such a sports complex could also be used by able-bodied athletes, but it would be specially adapted for persons with disabilities.

The significance of such a facility is not just technical, because it is time we created equality between able-bodied and disabled sports. Disabled athletes train no less and compete no less than able-bodied athletes.

We call on people who are willing to help, God willing, future Olympians," said Švraka.

Darko Pavlić, President of the Assembly of the Paralympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a table tennis player in the Wheelchair Table Tennis Club "Vrbas," explained the importance of infrastructure availability for regular training, without which success is impossible.

"We have a competitor, Haris Eminović, who achieved a historic result, he is among the top eight in the world rankings. Why is this important? Because in the surrounding region, athletes like us have infrastructure available 24 hours a day, while we have one hour, two training sessions per week. There are no results without training, and we are deprived of that. I hope the foundation will succeed. Specifically, we need a multifunctional hall that would be available 24 hours a day to all athletes, especially persons with disabilities.

We are lagging far behind, and if we want top results, then without a hall, professional staff, training, and finances, it is not possible."

Zoran Samarždić, President of the Wheelchair Basketball Club "Kozara" from Gradiška, also supported the Foundation and its set goals.

"In Gradiška, we lack people who understand that this sport is not just competition but also socializing, that it boosts self-confidence, and that people feel like equal members of society. It is unfortunate that the equipment for this sport is expensive, and it would be good to have a center in Banja Luka where everyone could gather."

Foundation President Ognjen Ranisavić emphasized that, in addition to the initiative to build infrastructure, they will work on advocating for athletes and improving legislation in this area.

"We want to create a place where sports will develop and which will bring together all people involved in sports and recreation, as well as activities beyond sports. It would also be a space for sports schools, camps, formal and informal gatherings such as excursions, celebrations, team building. That is our vision for the future."

As a first step, the Foundation has officially launched a fundraising campaign using donation boxes for citizens. The boxes will be placed in as many locations as possible throughout BiH, and we hereby invite the media and everyone else to recommend and promote the campaign so that we can reach as many people as possible who are able to support the realization of this socially responsible project."