Professor Marko Aleksandrović: PK Spid and Coach Amel Kapo's Work are Textbook Examples

The story of a boy, Ismail Zulfić, who mastered swimming techniques and styles without arms and even won a gold medal, has gone around the world. Ismail is a member of the Swimming Club Spid, founded in February 2016 by Master of Sports and Physical Education Amel Kapo. Today, PK Spid has 73 children and individuals with disabilities and 54 typical members. It seems that this success and the effort Kapo and other coaches are putting in are more recognized in other countries than in BiH, writes the Patria agency.   

Professor Marko Aleksandrović from the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education in Niš visited Sarajevo at the invitation of FASTO Sarajevo to participate in a scientific conference on new technologies in sports. On the sidelines of the conference, there will also be discussions about new study programs at FASTO concerning individuals with disabilities.

Professor Aleksandrović began his university career as an assistant trainee at the Faculty of Physical Culture in Niš (1999) in the subject of Swimming. He was elected to the position of assistant professor in 2007, and to the position of associate professor, teaching Swimming and Water Polo at the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education in Niš, in 2012. His scientific and professional research areas include selection in swimming sports, and in recent years he has been particularly involved in research on adaptive swimming. In cooperation with some local self-government units in Niš, he is the head of several project initiatives for teaching swimming to children with disabilities.

Professor Aleksandrović is precisely one of those who supported Kapo from the very beginning in the idea of establishing a swimming club for people with disabilities. Namely, in 2015, the professor invited Kapo as the sole representative of BiH to a Swimming Camp in Istanbul. In an interview with the Patria agency, he reveals how it all began.

- He was the right choice. Sports for people with disabilities are not unknown to him. He is already a man with an enviable CV in sitting volleyball, he knows about disability, that psychology, those specifics. There he could learn from the best experts from all over Europe in the field of Paralympic swimming. He didn't sit idly by, and most importantly, when he came here, he didn't just implement what he saw there, but adapted everything to the mentality and the environment. He is the best reference from that Camp, and his deeds speak for themselves – says Aleksandrović.

Speaking about the importance of including people with disabilities in everyday life, the professor emphasizes that it must be without any difference.

- From our profession, we can help and contribute by learning how to work with every person with a disability and how to extract their maximum physical potential – said Aleksandrović, who, along with colleagues and associations, founded a swimming club in Niš in 2009 that is still functioning today.

The Faculty in Niš established the Association of Adaptive Swimming of Serbia, which includes all people involved in adaptive swimming. These are primarily professors of sports and physical education, but also coaches, physiotherapists, pedagogues, special educators, psychologists, and medical professionals. They organize seminars every year because continuous education is essential for progress, emphasizes Professor Aleksandrović.

Comparing the situation in Niš and PK Spid, the professor points out that the club should have free use of the pool, given its work, as is the case in Niš.  

- If this burden were lifted, I claim that the financial situation, which is one of the main prerequisites for development, would improve.

An additional problem is that in BiH, only PK Spid exists, so Kapo has to compare himself with other countries. Logically, any competition motivates you to be better.

- I hope that will change soon and that clubs for swimming for people with disabilities will be formed in BiH. Kapo and his example will be included in our next textbook. The whole world knows about the swimmer Ismail Zulfić. Furthermore, success in competitive swimming has been achieved in a short time. Three swimmers have achieved international classification, and among them is a woman. This has even greater significance, as it is difficult to encourage a woman with a disability to engage in sports – said Aleksandrović.   

He said that this should be enough motivation for decision-makers to help this club.

- Why should professors of sports and physical education who work with people with disabilities be volunteers and not paid? Every person has a limited level of positive energy and motivation. Sooner or later, this city and this profession will lose Amel Kapo. If not this country. We have a similar example in Serbia. We must fight for our staff, because if we fight, we are fighting for the betterment of our society – concludes Professor Aleksandrović.

Swimming Club Spid was founded in February 2016 and has since grown into a respectable club whose members have already won numerous medals. Swimming lessons for children and people with disabilities are free, but the use of the Olympic pool in Otoka is not. Coach Kapo reluctantly talks about the problems he faces, but he has received numerous rejections so far. He has continuous support from the pharmaceutical company Bosnalijek, but not from those whose primary concern should be the youngest. It is important to note that PK Spid coaches work not only with children with disabilities but also with their parents, who undergo certain training.

A large number of PK Spid members come from the Centar municipality, and Kapo's requests for support have been rejected several times.

Given the coaches' workload with the number of members, there is an idea for fourth and fifth-year FASTO students to do their practical training in cooperation with PK Spid.