Monday marks first hearing in case of BiH Judo Federation

The first hearing in the case of judoka M. H. (14), his coach Karim Hebib and the BiH Judo Federation will be held on Monday before the Municipal Court in Sarajevo, NAP reports.

M. H., a member of the successful ON 1 judo sports organization, is a multiple national champion of BiH in the U16 and U18 categories.

At the national competition in Bihać in April this year, after his victory, he performed a sujud (prayed to God) and drew his index finger across his throat. This is a common sports greeting in martial arts.

The leaders of the BiH Judo Federation, however, do not see it that way. They deemed the actions of young Hebib as a provocation, after which the Federation's Disciplinary Committee banned M. H. from competing for the next year, and imposed a two-year coaching ban on his father and coach.

Following an appeal submitted by Karim Hebib to the BiH Judo Federation, the Federation further tightened the penalty, increasing the coaching ban for Karim from two to three years. For both the coach and the competitor, this represents a major setback in their careers, and likely the end of a professional career.

Well-informed sources from the BiH Judo Federation explain to Patria that politics has interfered in the case of M. H. Behind the disciplinary measure stands a small but influential group of people within the Federation. The same source claims that the success of the ON 1 sports organization bothers them. Young, ambitious judokas are disrupting their personal plans. ON 1 is a young sports organization that has won numerous domestic and international medals in younger age categories in just the last few years. Bosnia and Herzegovina has, for the first time, an opportunity for judo to become a mass sport.

- We trust in the judicial institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. That is why, as legalists, we sought help from the Court – stated the ON 1 organization, Patria reports.