Coach teaching children with disabilities to swim, Amel Kapo: Little heroes will win medals

When he started swimming lessons for people and children with disabilities two months ago, coach and founder of the SPID Swimming Club, Amel Kapo, did not anticipate the joy he would bring to the little heroes.

This graduate coach of sports and physical education (FASTO) is teaching seven children and adults with disabilities and five typically developing children their first swimming steps, and the number of interested individuals is growing daily.

In an interview with the Patria agency, he speaks very emotionally about his first encounters with the children, dedicating all his attention to each of them and designing a special training program for each.

- I have a special program for a girl named Iris, who is 4.5 years old and is missing her right hand, and especially with a boy named Ismail from Zenica (5.5 years old) who has no arms, and uses his legs for everything he does. The only stroke I can teach him is the dolphin, which is one of the most difficult – says Kapo.

He recounts how Ismail was literally running away from the water at the beginning, and now he can barely get out of the pool at the end of the training.

He emphasizes that this job requires love, patience, and above all, psychological preparation, as it involves the most sensitive category – children. Kapo is fully dedicated to his trainees, and their parents trust him immensely.

Kapo had separate training sessions with each of his trainees, and now he is bringing them together so they can get used to each other.

- When I started this project, my goal was inclusion, and I will achieve it. My second goal is for us to go to existing competitions when they are ready, and I am already receiving invitations – says Kapo, who learned more about this field in Turkey. He noted that there are numerous swimming clubs for people with disabilities in Croatia and Serbia.

Kapo has encountered people with disabilities before, as he is also a collaborator with the SPID sitting volleyball club.

However, at the very beginning, this young coach also faced financial difficulties, and he received rejections for numerous requests sent to Sarajevo municipalities and other levels of government. He does not charge for training, but he has costs for renting pool time at Otoka.

He also reached out for help to the pharmaceutical company Bosnalijek, which recognized the importance of this idea and his enthusiasm, and provided him with financial support.

- Bosnalijek recognized the value of this project, and following the concept of socially responsible business, we helped the club that desperately needs assistance. Alongside our internal development, we strive to be good neighbors and partners in the society in which we operate. As a successful company, we have adopted the practice of caring for the broader social community and act selflessly, both directly and through cooperation with responsible health, state, and non-governmental organizations. Bosnalijek continuously supports numerous projects and events in the fields of health, culture, sports, science, and education – said Razija Peco, Executive Director for Administration at Bosnalijek, to Patria.

Kapo with Iris during training