(Originally published September 12, 2012 byLe Courrier des Balkans )

The Bosnian volleyball players have won a gold medal again, showing the beginning of the tournament a magnificent game that left hope at best. Their level has improved from game to game, making players grow in confidence in their abilities.

Getting the gold, the selection Bosnian renewed success in Athens in 2004, demonstrating its ability to beat even the strongest teams on paper, as was the case for Iran, which had dominated early on in groups.

The Bosnian team, despite having lost the first set of the final, was able to remount and to demonstrate a strong mind, a fighting spirit and perseverance that led to victory.

•  The final

• Watch on YouTube the highlights of the final of the Beijing 2008 where the result smiled in that case Iran

 A highly symbolic victory for a generation of exceptional athletes, some now at the end of his career, as explained two years ago inLe Courrier des Balkans Dzevad Hamzic, now double Olympic champion in 44 years.

How do you explain your success?

In many try to understand the secret of our victories. Personally, I believe that we have a clear advantage on a psychological level than the other national teams, which are composed of people disabled from birth or accidents. For us it is not. Most of us were successful sports before being wounded during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

When this sad war broke out we fought and were wounded. We were aware that when you fight your life can change dramatically in a matter of a minute. Within us there is still that anger, that we call ” inactive “, which gives us great moral strength and a desire to succeed. This anger, we we transposed in volleyball. All members of our team have this immense force will. There is nothing that can replace it, no technique, no strategy.

Yes, although in recent years we have tried to diversify. However, there are also players who were not soldiers, civilians injured during the war as children or people who have jumped on a mine. However, there is a direct relationship with the conflict.

Sporting success allow you to experience of racing?

There are many sponsors interested in the sport. No one actually invests in volleyball.Sarajevo Canton pays a portion of our expenses. Apart from that we manage on your own, we directly manage all matters related to the team, from washing the shirts contracts with sponsors. We are dealing with in an autonomous way.

We’re very close, we see every day, we take a coffee together and discuss the decisions to be taken. Each team is a kind of family. We support the life of every day, and this affinity also affects our results. Together solve all our problems. Even after winning many trophies, we are jealous of this self-management. We started from nothing and now we are one of the most competitive teams in the region.

Practicing volleyball for you can be considered therapy?

But of course! I was injured three months after the end of the war and immediately I started to play volleyball. There are more than fifteen years game then and I can say that I have never had to go to the doctor to treat specific problems related to my disability. This shows that sport for disabled people, whatever your sport, is the best possible rehabilitation and re-socialization tool.

Many of the wounded during the war were locked up in themselves, they are withdrawn and this is very harmful to their mental health. Life changes all of a sudden, in the past mundane daily activities become very complicated and their sense of isolation and depression are a risk.

This isolation leads to total inactivity, you get fat, you stay at home, eat, sleep, watch TV, you start drinking to forget and do not tolerate anything or anyone. The whole world becomes responsible for your disability, life becomes a living hell.

But if you dedicate yourself to a sport, if you open up to other people who live in a situation similar to yours, but who want to get out, follow the best possible therapy. Thinking to myself, to my way, I aprtecipato in 4 editions of the Paralympics, I found myself in front of an audience of 100,000 people … it seems incredible today.

Do you think that your achievements will contribute to a better awareness on the part of Bosnian society towards people with disabilities?

With regard to the sporting context we were able to bring the sport to the same level of able-bodied sport. People know volleyball sitting, which in the past did not know. In addition, there is now also a course dedicated to the sport for the disabled at the Faculty of Sport in Sarajevo, and this means there is a real understanding of our business. The boys are made of high schools lessons explaining what the sport for the disabled. And all this is thanks in large part to our success.

What is the relationship with the players of the Republika Srpska?

Initially, we set up a volleyball team sitting of the Federation. When they started too to practice this sport have proposed to join forces. But it was not their intention. They wanted to try to make their own league and participate with their own national selection, which is of course impossible at an international level. There is now a league of Republika Srpska, but at the international level, the best players play under the flag of Serbia.

As for us, we do not look if a player is Bosniak, Croat or Serb. Counts first love for the sport and the desire to go farther and farther. If they are unwilling to join forces us please do not for sure.Nevertheless, there is no animosity between us. We practice a sport and try to lead a normal life. Of course we will never forget what happened during the war, but let’s not mix them all together and move forward.

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