Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Dr. Zoran Tegeltija: "I will advocate for a systemic solution to the financing of sports and the Olympic Committee of BiH"

At the beginning of 2022, the Presidency of the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina began with a series of meetings in Bosnia and Herzegovina. institutions relevant to sports, all with the aim of supporting top athletes, sports professional federations of BiH and the Olympic Committee of BiH, which lead to the strengthening and better organization of the sports system of BiH.

Two meetings were held at the highest level, on January 18 and 19, 2022, which were attended by the President of the Olympic Committee of BiH, Mr. Marijan Kvesić together with the vice presidents prof.dr Milanko Mučibabić and prof. dr. Izet Rađo and Secretary-General Dr. Said Fazlagić on behalf of the OK BiH and the Minister of Civil Affairs Ankica Gudeljević, and Dr. Zoran Tegeltija, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH.

They discussed the upcoming largest sports festival in the world, the Winter Olympic Games to be held in Beijing from February 4 to 20, 2022, and the lack of financial support from state levels of government for two years in a row. The messages of athletes and sports professional federations of BiH were conveyed to urgently and permanently enable the financing of sports at the state level, which is currently only possible through a grant from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

At both meetings, President Kvesić emphasized that the MCP grant was not distributed in 2021 and that this is the third time that top sports, BiH sports federations, and the BiH Olympic Committee have remained without state support in the last ten years. He mentioned that even within that grant, there is the little allocation for the sports federations of BiH and the Olympic Committee of BiH.

Mr. Kvesić said that in the span of 12 months, the Olympic Committee of BiH participates in as many as five top sports competitions such as the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and before us are the Olympic Games in Beijing, EYOF in Vuokatti and Banska Bystrica and the Mediterranean Games in Tunisia, where bh. the team represented and will represent hundreds of athletes and coaches.

Prof. dr. Mučibabić pointed out that the OK BiH supported the Olympians in their efforts to achieve Olympic norms and participate in the Olympic Games "Tokyo 2021" and "Beijing 2022" with approximately 1,200,000 KM, and that as an Association of Citizens and non-budget users we would desperately need it. and the assistance of the state we represent. Unfortunately, it is often absent, which is directly reflected in sports results.

Prof. dr. Izet Rađo said that the strategy for the development of sports in BiH 2022-2030 was prepared and done by an expert team and that with a little political will, it can be adopted. The BiH Sports Development Strategy would provide clear guidelines for solving many of BiH's key problems. 

At the first meeting, Minister Gudeljevic said that the Ministry of Civil Affairs could support the state sports professional federations and the Olympic Committee of BiH through an MCP grant, but due to the non-adoption of the budget at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Civil Affairs is unable to do so.

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, dr. Tegeltija, a former basketball player and sports worker, showed an understanding of the problems of financing the sports professional federations of BiH and the Olympic Committee of BiH.

In his address, he pointed out that he would do everything in his power to systematically resolve the financing of BiH sports federations, and that it would not be exclusively through grants. Despite the complicated situation, he promised that he would do everything to financially support the BiH Olympic Committee so that it could realize the next four competitions that await them in 2022. He wished good luck to our Olympians who are preparing for the trip to Beijing and expressed his wish to visit the Olympic Committee of BiH and the Olympic Museum together with the presidents of the OK BiH.