"We are really proud because the level of organisation is very high," explains President Crnogorac, before adding, "We have worked hard to achieve this. It has been more than a year since we started organising these championships, so the only thing that comes to mind is the pride of having made it. I talk a lot with the IJF team and with the delegations and all the feedback I get is positive. We did a good job, I think."
Ognjen Pavlovic confirms, "We now have good experience in the field of organisation. This year we saw Arena TV come on board, which gives us good visibility. With the live coverage provided by the IJF and Arena TV, these championships have a really good image. It's the best possible advertisement for our sport. We already know that Arena TV will support us even more in the future."
"Judo is our sport," this possessive pronoun is emblematic of the spirit of the team in charge of the organising committee because judo belongs to them, as it belongs to all sports enthusiasts. "Here in Bosnia and Herzegovina, judo is the most popular Olympic sport in terms of results, even though we are a relatively young federation. Judo has been present here since the 1960s, but the federation in its current form was created only in 1993. Today we have between 4,000 and 5,000 judoka, spread across a hundred clubs but what characterises us the most is undoubtedly our enthusiasm," explains the President.
The Vice-President drives the point home, “We love judo! It's as simple as that. We are lucky to have great personalities who have contributed to the development of judo. We have great coaches as well and judoka who always want to do better. Judo is our life."
Ninth dan, working for the police, Branislav Crnogorac, who also worked in the field of university judo, confesses, "I spend most of my time in the service of judo. That's how it is.”
For Ognjen Pavlovic, who is an adviser to the mayor of the city of Zvornik, the inspiration was natural, "I am 35 years old, I am a third dan and I learned everything from the President, who gives us the desire to always do better."
The history of the region has however not always matched the life of today and the conditions have not always been ideal for the development of judo but, "Sport unifies people," says the President, "The judo federation was one of the first, undoubtedly the pioneer, to recreate the conditions of the unity of the country. Honestly, we do not look to the past, we are resolutely turned towards the future and our future is brilliant thanks to judo. We can affirm without showing off, that our federation is a great example for many people. We don't have a big budget but we have a big heart and we are able to achieve our goals."
There is no doubt about that. In 2002 alone, a European open, two European cups and now the Cadet World Championships have been organised in Bosnia and Herzegovina and it's not over, "In November, we are going to host the European Championships U23. That's a lot of events in a season and we don't want to stop," adds Mr Pavlovic.
The conclusion is simple and direct, it is given by Branislav Crnogorac, "We will continue to work as we have always done because by investing ourselves we will be able to continue to promote unity and peace." It's motivational to see so much passion.