San Francisco Frontiers - Bosnia volleyball team sets sights on Paralympic glory

"Everyone fears us," Delalic told AFP ahead of the Paralympic Games in Paris.

"Including the Iranians," he beamed.

For months, Delalic and his reigning European champions team mates have been practising at least four days a week in Sarajevo, where they run through drills and focus on staying in fighting shape.

"Paris is really important for us because we want to recover the title. We know we are capable of doing it," said the 52-year-old captain.

Bosnia last won gold in sitting men's volleyball at the London Games in 2012 after beating Iran.

Over the course of his career, Delalic has helped lead Bosnia to winning 27 medals at international competitions -- including two Paralympic Games golds, eleven European Championships and three World Championships.

"People always expect us to come home with gold. When we come home with silver, they say 'why isn't it gold?'" said Delalic.

- Stubbornness -

The captain's success on the court followed early tragedy after he was injured during Bosnia's vicious inter-ethnic war in the 1990s amid the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia.

During the siege of Sarajevo, Delalic was hit by tank fire in late 1992, resulting in the partial amputation of his right leg.

After his injury, Delalic discovered sitting volleyball -- a sport that saved him from despair and "brought him everything".

In the war's wake, the sport gained a steady following in Bosnia, due in no small part to the large numbers of people wounded in the war that killed nearly 100,000 people.

Bosnia is now home to dozens of sitting volleyball clubs, including two in the capital Sarajevo -- Fantomi and Spid -- that regularly win European titles.

The popularity has helped cement a culture of success with the sport that has translated well to international competition.

For coach Ifet Mahmutovic, Bosnia's national team's success remains rooted in their dedication to hard work and the stubbornness of the players.

"We are a cruel society. If it's not gold, it's as if they haven't won anything," said Mahmutovic.

"They don't want to be forgotten and that's why they have these results," he told AFP.

- War wounds -

The team continues to comprise many athletes that were wounded in the war or were later injured after stepping on landmines.

In the war's wake, more than 1,150 people have been injured and another 624 killed in Bosnia by mine accidents, according to official figures.

Ermin Jusufovic was one of them.

The 43-year-old was injured a few days before he turned 16 by a mine, more than a year after the war ended.

But the injury did little to slow Jusufovic down. And nearly 25 years after the incident, he was voted the MVP of the 2022 World Cup tournament.

"We are going to Paris with very big ambitions. We will be very focused and motivated," he said.

"With the greatest respect for all opponents, we are going there to win first place."

Despite the confidence, the competition will be steep.

Iran -- which has won seven gold medals and two silvers in sitting volleyball -- remains a heavy favourite.

"It's not a shame to lose to Iran, but we will do everything we can. With a dose of luck and courage, we will try to surprise them," said veteran defender Ismet Godinjak, 51.

Bosnia's Stevan Crnobrnja, 40, who joined the team in 2021, said the team's "cohesion" and fierce loyalty to each other would be key to their success.

"Since I started playing for the national team, we've never won against Iran," said Crnobrnja.

"I really want to beat this famous team."

P.Adams--SFF