”Make a pool, we will fill it with tears of joy,” was just one of the comments after Lana Pudar from Mostar won the gold medal at the 2022 European Aquatics Championships in the 200-meter butterfly. This is only one in a row, but Lana still does not have an Olympic swimming pool in her city, where she would prepare for major competitions. For years, the finger has been pointed at the local government to build a pool or at least start work on it, and the people of Mostar say that they are ready to roll up their sleeves and help.
The Sports Association of the City of Mostar points out that the story about the swimming pool is practically over, and that in two or more years Lana and talents like her should get Olympic conditions.
”It is practically a done deal. The initial and vast majority of the financial resources for the construction of the swimming pool have been provided. We must praise the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) Government, Prime Minister Novalic, and all the ministers who supported and understood the importance of the construction of the Olympic swimming pool in Mostar,” says Senad Kevelj, director of the Sports Association of the City of Mostar.
Bad conditions, poor financial support, and the lack of an adequate law on sports at the state level are just some of the reasons why athletes choose to perform under the flags of other countries.
”We are currently trying to find her adequate sparring partners in BiH. It is not easy to connect with other swimmers, even in the region. Currently, this is one of the biggest problems we are facing. In other countries and swimming nations, it is a completely different story,” Lana’s coach Alena Cemalovic points out.
BiH is one of the few countries where very little is invested in sports. This is the key reason why many talents from this country build their careers under the flags of other countries. The solution is definitely not a financial reward only after winning a medal, athletes in our country need a systemic solution, which will enable all talents to have conditions for training, but also to go to major competitions. When athletes in this country cannot participate in high-level competitions – it is a defeat and a shame, no matter how those who manage the state coffers try to justify it.
“Everyday questions wherever you go: Are you going to the European Championship? What is going on? Do you have money? It is certain that a lot of it, whether we like it or not, remains in the head and plays a role in the morning when you come to breakfast, you immediately start talking about what is happening,” states the captain of the BiH basketball team, Miralem Halilovic.
Many believe that Lana’s successes could finally result in changes in BiH’s sports and that this segment returns from the local level to the national level. BiH has lost big names in sports, because only by a miracle can they achieve notable results at European and world competitions, Federalna writes.
E.Dz.
