INTERNATIONAL JUDO TOURNAMENT ZVORNIK OPEN BRINGS TOGETHER AROUND 500 COMPETITORS

ZVORNIK, NOVEMBER 7 /SRNA/ - The international judo tournament in Zvornik brought together around 500 competitors today from 52 clubs in Serbia, Croatia, the Federation of BiH, and Republika Srpska.

Dragan Božović, director of the Soko Judo Club in Zvornik, which is organising the event, said the competition was strong and that participants would have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills.

He said that the club was also marking its 30th anniversary, during which its members had won numerous medals, including third place in the men's team competition in BiH and around 20 medals at Balkan championships.

Božović highlighted that club members Aleksandra Samardžić and Vasilije Vujičić have won several official European medals, adding that club members also won numerous medals at international tournaments and European Cups, although only those earned at official European competitions count.

"Over the past 30 years, many children have trained at the Soko Judo Club, around 40 of whom have earned black belts, qualifying them to become coaches and referees," Božović, who is also a coach at the club, told reporters.

He said that Soko had good cooperation with the Republika Srpska Ministry of Family, Youth and Sport and the City Administration.

Before the civil war, Božović lived in Sarajevo and trained at the Bosna and Željezničar judo clubs. He came to Zvornik as a fourth-dan black belt holder and founded the Soko Judo Club in 1996. He now holds a seventh-dan red-and-white belt.

He still competes in the veterans' category and has won five medals at five competitions. Two years ago, he also won a bronze medal at the World Judo Championships in Las Vegas, USA.