The Bicycling Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina continuously advocates for the creation of better conditions for all cyclists, especially for those who promote our sport and our country with their results. was told to the Jabuka.tv portal after the best cyclist in BiH, Ivan Soldo, recently publicly warned about the lack of institutional support.
Let us remind you, Soldo, three-time national champion in cycling, he called out the competent institutions, primarily the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the West Herzegovina County, due to the lack of financial support despite achieving excellent results, which we wrote about earlier. He stated then that all his calls were ignored and that he believes that support is often given to those who have it certain relations with competent persons.
Lack of systematic support
The umbrella cycling organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which gathers 32 cycling clubs, points out that institutional support for sports, and thus cycling, in BiH often varies depending on local and county budgets, as well as the priorities of certain institutions, but how its absence greatly hinders the development of athletes.
Lack of systematic support at any level of government, from local to national, certainly makes it difficult to develop any sport, not only cycling, and to maintain continuity in the careers of top athletes. The absence of a sports ministry at the state level and the lack of systematic budgeting of the federation currently represent one of the biggest challenges.
Together with Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina we are systematically working to change this situation. However, despite these challenges, the Association strives to create opportunities through national programs, international performances and development initiatives so that our cyclists can progress and remain in the competition system, they told the portal Jabuka.tv.
Athletes forced to self-finance
Soldo, who confirms his quality from competition to competition, according to the Association, is known for his exceptional dedication and sportsmanship, and represents one of the most promising cyclists in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is why they understand his concern and disappointment at the lack of support at the local level.
Ivan Soldo is currently a cyclist in the senior category and the issue of financing should have already been largely resolved. He should have built his career and name in the younger categories in order to be recognized by larger international clubs and teams and contacted to perform for them as professional athlete with all expenses paid and sports salary.
It is a process that builds from the cadet categories. As a national association, we do not get involved in the decisions and business processes of local and county institutions, but certainly we encourage all levels of government to recognize and support athletes who represent our country in the best way, they added from the Alliance.
They emphasize that the Alliance invests maximum efforts to provide the best possible conditions for athletes through its programs, international cooperation and development projects, but, unfortunately, this is often not enough, so athletes forced to self-finance on the way to their sports careers.
The Cycling Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina will continue to do so work on strengthening the support system, cooperation with institutions and creating an environment in which young athletes like Ivan Solda will to have conditions worthy of their results, they concluded for the portal Jabuka.tv.
The Government of the County of West Herzegovina, for the sake of reminding, the Budget of the County of West Herzegovina for the year 2025 set aside 1,500,000 KM for sports programs.
Question about the criteria and the method of distribution of budget funds for athletes in ŽZH we sent on October 21 to the address of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports ŽZH, but until the conclusion of this article we have not received an answer.
(www.jabuka.tv | Photo: Jabuka.tv / Freepik)
