Article 1: A story from one's Sarajevo's jiu-jitsu club
Written by Harun Marušić - BRAVO
Sport is an integral part of every culture and it somehow has its own separate sports culture. Some say that sport is the most important secondary thing in their life, while others say that sport is their whole life, and you also have those who don't like it at all. Whichever of these groups you belong to, you will agree that sport has a good impact on human health, both physically and mentally.
Every responsible person should recognize, understand and react to violence, problems, discrimination, abuse, and all those things that extend through every part of our society.
We aim to help people, volunteers, trainers and everyone else acquire the ability I mentioned above.
Now, you will read about a real-life story from one of Sarajevo's jiu-jitsu clubs. Firstly, let define Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it is created as a movement that aimed to reduce violence in all areas of life, especially in sports, through self-defense techniques and pitting the opposing force against oneself. The sport consists of learning techniques and direct combat between two fighters. So, one club in Sarajevo wanted to continue the original mission of the sport, and based on that they told all members of the club to follow one rule; they must look out for each other as brothers and sisters. At the beginning they presented all transparently and publicly about their members, including their life stories, social, economic status and family. However, that did not have a positive effect on the members, or their environment in general, especially because of those who had some issues. When one of the trainers noticed that, he called a meeting where he presented his point of view on the situation among members and proposed small but significant change. From that day on, the method of paying training membership fees was not direct and public as before. Instead, they put a plastic box in the rooms where they train and every month each of the fighters would put an envelope in that box and no one knew how much anyone gave, only the coach. After that, the coach noticed that the team started to understand how much these things can cause disrespect towards colleagues without any merit. This was just one story that showed a positive example.
Why do we need respect in sports? Below, you can find some statistical information related to discrimination in sports and the impact it has on all of us, especially on young people.
The most serious issues facing community sports today are:
- harassment - 38%;
- intolerance/racism - 29%;
- lack of fair play - 21%;
- other - 12%.
And who is most responsible for improving sportsmanship?
- Coaches - 95%;
- teachers - 65%;
- parents - 55%.
Did you know that over 70% of children drop out of organized sports by the age of 13? This is why we need more respect for sport.
As we can see, all people have a certain amount of responsibility in this matter. Parents play a big role in raising and preparing a child for participation in sports, but also in motivating them during sports. Some of the clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina organize training and education for parents where they prepare educational and interesting workshops aimed at raising awareness among parents.
They should help define standards of behavior for all parents and create a more supportive, safe, and respectful environment for all involved. Parents want to do a great job supporting their children. Education and training provide them tools to create and maintain a safe sports environment.