Bosnia's women rugby pioneers target Olympic qualification
Members of female section of the rugby club Celik practice with the ball during a training with the hope that they will soon be ready to compete in regional and international competitions, with the ultimate goal of participating in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Amel Emric
Members of female section of the rugby club Celik run with the ball during training with the hope that they will soon be ready to compete in regional and international competitions, with the ultimate goal of participating in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Amel Emric
Members of female section of the rugby club Celik practice with the ball during a training with the hope that they will soon be ready to compete in regional and international competitions, with the ultimate goal of participating in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Amel Emric
Members of female section of the rugby club Celik practice with the ball during a training with the hope that they will soon be ready to compete in regional and international competitions, with the ultimate goal of participating in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Amel Emric
Members of female section of the rugby club Celik prepare for training with the hope that they will soon be ready to compete in regional and international competitions, with the ultimate goal of participating in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, June 4, 2025. REUTERS/Amel Emric
ZENICA, Bosnia - Erna Huseinovic fell in love with rugby after coaching young children at a local club in the central town of Zenica, the home of Bosnia's first women's rugby sevens team.
A speedy winger, Huseinovic is preparing with her teammates for their first international competition in Croatia in September.
"I found in rugby something that I did not find in other sports," said Huseinovic, a 25-year-old student at the Zenica faculty for sports.
"The goal of my team is to achieve success in regional competitions and qualify for the 2032 Olympic Games," she said.
Rugby has been played for 50 years in Zenica, and Celik, regular winners of rugby championships in the former Yugoslavia, established the first women's team last year after a previous attempt had failed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Our goal is to form women's teams in several cities across Bosnia so they can compete in domestic and international competitions," said Mirza Oruc, a vice-president of Bosnia's rugby association and coach of the national women's team.
"We want to compete in rugby sevens and qualify for the Brisbane Olympic Games," Oruc told Reuters, adding that sevens was a version of rugby helping to break stereotypes about the tough sport being exclusively for men.
Sara Hadzic, 25, heard about rugby at Zenica university, where she studies German language and literature.
"I wanted to try something new and different, to meet new girlfriends," said Hadzic, who did karate as a child. "I am playing now recreationally but I might go professional in the future."
The mothers of several children training at the Celik club decided to try out the sports themselves.
"Rugby is love, friendship, socializing, family," said Brankica Sekerovic. "I have come to the club as a supporter during tournaments and met some wonderful mums ... and then came a love for rugby." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
25 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Sinner says rivalry with Alcaraz just the tonic sport needs
Sinner says rivalry with Alcaraz just the tonic sport needs PARIS - Jannik Sinner believes his battle for supremacy with fellow French Open finalist Carlos Alcaraz could become the defining rivalry of their era and is something the sport needs with its golden generation of players calling time on their careers. Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6(3) in a generational battle on Court Philippe Chatrier to deny his Serbian opponent a record 25th Grand Slam and leave him unsure whether he will ever return to Roland Garros, where he has won three major trophies. The 23-year-old Italian, who is seeking his fourth Grand Slam title, booked a mouth-watering meeting with his main rival Carlos Alcaraz, who will aim to retain his crown at Roland Garros and add a fifth major crown to his trophy cabinet. With Djokovic now the only active member of tennis' Big Four that also included Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray and yielded a collective 69 major titles in more than two decades, Sinner sensed an opportunity for himself and Alcaraz. "It takes time to compare us with the Big Three or Big Four, no? Only time can tell, to be honest," Sinner told reporters. "For sure, from my point of view, he's a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. We try to understand where we have to improve, for the next times I play against him. "I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up. There can be so many different and other players joining or one drops. You never know." Sunday's clash on Court Philippe Chatrier will mark only the 12th time that Sinner and Alcaraz have faced off, with the 22-year-old Spaniard looking for a fifth straight victory over his opponent to successfully defend his title. Djokovic said the pair would have to keep going to match the rivalry that he had with Federer, Nadal and Murray. "At the moment, that's hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years non-stop in order to be part of the same discussion," Djokovic added. "But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something our sport needs." Sinner said he and Alcaraz had a similar aura and could get more fans interested in the sport. "He's a player with charisma, with that aura," Sinner said. "The moment he steps on court, you can feel his presence. In the end, that's exactly what tennis needs. The more people like that, the more players like that, the better. "In the end, it's exactly those players who bring people closer to the sport and make them want to watch tennis." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Referee body cams and enhanced offside detection system tested at Club World Cup
FILE PHOTO: A long exposure shows FIFA's logo near its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland February 27, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann PARIS - Referees wearing body cameras and an upgraded offside detection system will be among the headline innovations at this year's Club World Cup in the United States, FIFA said on Friday. For the first time at a FIFA tournament, match officials will wear body cameras, with selected footage broadcast live to audiences. A new, advanced version of semi-automated offside technology — combining Artificial Intelligence, multiple cameras, and ball sensors — will be deployed to speed up decision-making while maintaining VAR oversight for marginal calls. "However, for challenging offside scenarios, the video assistant referee will still validate the information provided by the system before the decision is taken," FIFA said in a statement. The tournament, which expands to 32 teams this year, will serve as a major testing ground for both systems, the governing body said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Buttler and Dawson shine as England beat West Indies in T20 opener
Cricket - First Twenty20 International - England v West Indies - Seat Unique Riverside, Durham, Britain - June 6, 2025 West Indies' Alzarri Joseph appeals for the wicket of England's Jos Buttler, given for LBW Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith REUTERS Cricket - First Twenty20 International - England v West Indies - Seat Unique Riverside, Durham, Britain - June 6, 2025 England's Jos Buttler celebrates with teammates after he takes the wicket of West Indies' Johnson Charles, stumped off the bowling of England's Liam Dawson Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith REUTERS Cricket - First Twenty20 International - England v West Indies - Seat Unique Riverside, Durham, Britain - June 6, 2025 England's Jos Buttler looks dejected after losing his wicket, LBW bowled by West Indies' Alzarri Joseph Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith REUTERS Cricket - First Twenty20 International - England v West Indies - Seat Unique Riverside, Durham, Britain - June 6, 2025 England's Jos Buttler celebrates with Liam Dawson after he takes the wicket of West Indies' Johnson Charles, stumped off the bowling of England's Liam Dawson Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith REUTERS DURHAM, England - Former captain Jos Buttler scored a superb 96 off 59 balls, and Liam Dawson took four wickets on his international return, as England beat West Indies by 21 runs in the T20 series opener at Durham's Riverside ground on Friday. After making a 3-0 winning start to Harry Brook's captaincy in the one-dayers, England kept the momentum in the shorter format with an innings of 188-6 after winning the toss and batting first. West Indies finished on 167-9, with Romario Shepherd caught on the final ball of the match. Buttler, in at number three with England 16-1 after Ben Duckett was caught by West Indies captain Shai Hope off Shepherd, brought up his half century from 25 balls in the eighth over. He had earlier smashed three sixes and scooped a four from the first four balls of a devastating sixth over with Alzarri Joseph bowling. The 34-year-old, who stepped down as white-ball captain last February following England's group-stage exit from the Champions Trophy, continued to look like a man relieved of a heavy burden as he hit six fours and four sixes. Needing just four for the century, he was out lbw to Joseph in the penultimate over. The tally was Buttler's highest T20 international score on home soil. West Indies were 33-2 off 5.2 overs after losing Johnson Charles for 18, stumped by Buttler off Dawson, and Hope caught by Duckett, who repaid his own dismissal in like-for-like fashion, for three off debutant Matthew Potts. England restricted the visitors to 44-2 at the end of the powerplay, compared to 78-1 at the same stage of the home innings. Evin Lewis hit West Indies top score of 39 off 23 balls, before being caught by Brydon Carse with Jacob Bethell bowling. Dawson, back in the side at 35 and playing his first England match since 2022, claimed his second and third wickets when Duckett caught Sherfane Rutherford (2) and Roston Chase (24) in quick succession. The left-arm spinner wrapped up with a fourth wicket, for 20 runs from his four overs, by bowling Rovman Powell as West Indies slipped to 115-6 on a tough night in the north-east. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
