There is a joke here in Bosnia…a Serb and Bosnian were arguing about who has better sports teams…and Serb said…We have great football team, great handball team,
great volleyball team, great water polo team…
What do you have?
And Bosnian said…We have sitting volleyball team…
They are European and world champions…And
they won gold medal at Paralympics…
Then Serb asked him…
Yeah…you have…But who made that team…
Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a population of about 3.5 million people. The Bosnian war, which lasted from 1992 until 1995, was devastating for country and its people. And now, more than 500.000 disabled people live in Bosnia and Herzegovina but they are hardly visible fromthe streets. Predudice, lack of understanding and above all stairs are what they are facing every day.
Most of team`s members are lucky, they have regular jobs and normal problems. While the majority of their competitors in developed countries can focus fully on the game, the Bosnian players must work to find funds for their next contest. Bosnia and Herzegovina`s most successful team receives no assistance from the government for training or rewards for medals taken.
For most members of Bosnian team volleyball the sport has brought back their life, mentally and physically. They are a lot more stable than the majority of persons with disabilities who are not involved in sports.
Everything began in 1997 for this team, when they won their first medal – a bronze at the European Championships. Since then, there has not been an important sports festival that does not feature them on the podium.
The National team holds six European championships, two World championships and won a silver medal in the Athens Paralympics, a gold medal in Sydney and a silver medal in Beijing.
However, the importance of their medals is much higher than the same game. For the Bosnians, they will always be heroes: war, volleyball and life.