We are all equal in the water, is a sentence that you will immediately see if you want to research the Swimming Club “SPID” (Sports and Invalids Society). And yes, everyone is truly equal in the water – children with physical disabilities, children with autism, Down’s syndrome…
Swimming club “SPID” is the first paraswimming club in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It operates in Sarajevo, where children with disabilities come from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It was founded in November 2015, but it officially started working in February of the following year. The only reason why they started working in February is to make swimming for disabled people free.
Trainers work with children at the Otok Olympic pool. Swimming engages all types of muscles, and has a beneficial effect on the lungs, muscles, joints and heart. This activity affects the connective tissue and enables better coordination of the work of legs and hands.
Swimming is almost the only activity for which there is no age limit and one of the few sports that does not represent almost any effort for ligaments and cartilage, and is recommended for people of all ages.
Swimming is the only sport activity in which it is possible to involve a child from an early age. Movement in the water has a positive effect on the child’s body as a whole, because it encourages proper physical growth and development, develops basic motor skills and contributes to the development of cognitive and conative abilities. Therefore, the goal of this club, the first and only swimming club for people with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the rehabilitation, resocialization and inclusion of people with disabilities through swimming and water sports, the development and improvement of sports for people with disabilities, encouraging and promoting the massification program of athletes. persons with disabilities, up to the maximum development of their abilities and potential.
One of the main goals is to carry out the successful inclusion of swimmers – persons with disabilities by doing training with people who do not have a percentage of disabilities, where they will give them the opportunity to prove to themselves and others that they can be equal members of our society and our community, which will have a preventive effect to any form of discrimination against persons with disabilities.
Every person, every child should have equal rights and opportunities regardless of individual differences. In an inclusive society, every person is respected and accepted as a human being. Therefore, the best knowledge is when a person knows himself, using his knowledge as the strongest weapon in an effort to destroy what holds us back, prejudices. Extending the hand of friendship and creating a positive story through sport that strengthens both soul and body.
“Life is what we do, what is remembered, what unites us. In the water, we are all equal and we all move forward together”, said the “SPID” club.
Amel Kapo, founder and coach of the first paraswimming club in Bosnia and Herzegovina “SPID”, spoke about the beginnings and creation of the club.
As he says, there are two parallel stories about its origin. The idea was born while he was still studying at the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education, where they had certain pedagogical practices – in primary and secondary schools, skiing and the Olympic swimming pool of the island.
“That’s when I noticed that quite a few people with disabilities come to the Olympic pool. For some reason, no one did anything specific or significant with them. I had one boy in a group with typical kids where the kids rejected him. I somehow managed to win them over and make them do everything the other kids do,” Kapo said.
After that, he made a research and came to the conclusion that nobody in Bosnia and Herzegovina does anything when it comes to disabled people when it comes to swimming.
Kapo also contacted the Paralympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina and they officially “gave him a piece of paper” that no one in Bosnia and Herzegovina does this. Seven days after that, he received an invitation from the Paralympic Committee to go to Istanbul for a training camp for paraswimmers.
“The second story is related to the fact that during my studies I trained alone with our golden Paralympians, the golden guys from sitting volleyball. Through spending time with them, I realized what they can do. In Istanbul, I saw how it all works,” explained Kapo.
After returning to Sarajevo, he launched “SPID” in November 2015, but they started working in February 2016.
“The only reason why we started working after so much time is that my idea was that all activities related to swimming for people with disabilities should be free. Of course, we had to find some funds to be able to cover the costs we have, the costs of the Olympic pool”, said Kapo.
They turned to everyone for help, more precisely the costs of the swimming pool at the beginning, however, the only one who helped them was the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Canton of Sarajevo.
In the beginning, there were one or two children, it was done individually. People didn’t even know about the Club. The primary goal was to work with people with physical disabilities, as this falls under parasport. Today, the Club welcomes people with all degrees and forms of disability.
“We have 89 active members – people with disabilities. These are the ones who come every day, regardless of the project. We function through projects thanks to which more than 200 people with disabilities, children from the autism spectrum, children with Down’s syndrome, physical disabilities passed through the Club…” said Kapo.
According to him, at the Faculty, which he graduated from, he had no contact with persons with disabilities in his work.
He believes that this is a problem of the education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, they tried to get training and education to help these children. They also learned through work, accompanying children with different disabilities and thus learning from them what is best to do.
“For children on the autism spectrum, swimming is crucial. According to a study in America, about 70 percent of the deaths of children with autism are drowning. It often happens that children leave home and are attracted to water. They are attracted to water because the noise that the outside world makes to them is reduced when they dive. However, if they don’t know how to swim, then they stay longer and unwanted things happen. It is vital for them to know how to swim”, Kapo explained.
In our country, people with disabilities generally do not have the opportunity to choose sports. However, Kapo stated that, unfortunately, those in the Club are also limited with resources such as swimming pools, coaches…
The club is a refuge for children from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“We have children who come from Zenica, Živinica, we have a boy who comes from Bugojno, not to mention Ilijaš, Visoko and Breza… There is a great need,” said Kapo.
The club is financed in various ways and with the help of sponsors. There are five coaches and a Cap.
“We are mostly financed through projects. But I don’t want this to be a project because it has a beginning and an end. We don’t want this to end because the need is huge. When a doctor recommends swimming to a child, recommends our Club, it means that it is very important. We are helped by non-governmental organizations, but also by the state. This should be solved systematically. We cannot tell these children in January that there is no swimming for them. We need funds to cover the expenses we have. In particular, we now have large costs at the pool,” said Kapo.
Children from this club also win notable results in various competitions.
One of the most successful is certainly Ismail Barlov, born in 2010 with physical deformities. This is a boy who finished fourth in the 50m breaststroke and seventh in the 150m medley at the World Senior Para-Swimming Championships in Manchester this year.
“I’m in the seventh grade and I’m an excellent student. Swimming means a lot to me, primarily because of my health, but also because of my friends. I don’t know how I would do without this. I’ve been training for five years, three or four times a week. I wish I could do more,” said Ismail.
This cheerful boy says that his best friend Ismail Zulfić is also in the Club.
Zulfić is also a member of “SPID”. He was born without upper limbs and with a deformity of the right foot. Therefore, only his left foot is functional.
From a boy who had a phobia of water and who actively uses only one leg in swimming, he became a boy who participates in championships and achieves notable results, just like Barlov.
“SPID” is more than a club for these children, it means life to them, a way out of everyday life in which they face various challenges, where they have the opportunity to progress and develop in accordance with their capabilities, and to further develop their capacities.
Written by: Vesna Bešić
This story was written thanks to the generous support of the American people through the “LOCAL WORKS” program of the American Agency for International Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina (USAID). The author and “Network for Peace Building” are solely responsible for the content of the story. The views expressed in the story do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
