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Sabahudin Delalić

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Sabahudin Delalić
Personal information
Born (1972-08-17) 17 August 1972 (age 52)
Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
Volleyball information
Current clubSDI Spid
Career
YearsTeams
1996–presentSDI Spid
National team
1996–presentBosnia and Herzegovina
Honours
Men's sitting volleyball
Representing  Bosnia and Herzegovina
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Team
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Team
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney Team
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing Team
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio Team
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris Team
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Team

Sabahudin Delalić (born 17 August 1972) is a Bosnian sitting volleyball player. The captain of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national sitting volleyball team, he won medals at the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summer Paralympics. He has helped Bosnia and Herzegovina win medals at over 25 international competitions and served as the Bosnian flagbearer at two Paralympics.

Early life

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Delalić was born on 17 August 1972, in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.[1] He received his education in Sarajevo and graduated with a master's degree from the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education at the University of Sarajevo.[2] He served in the Bosnian War, but was wounded in the village of Azići in 1992, being hit by tank fire that required a partial amputation of his leg.[3][4] As part of his rehabilitation, he began playing sports.[3] He described that "This is perhaps the best way for psychological and physical rehabilitation for people with different kinds of impairments. Everybody, including me, has changed a lot by playing sports. We understand our wounds differently. Sport makes us equal with others."[1]

Volleyball career

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Delalić began playing sitting volleyball with the club SDI Spid in 1996, and was called-up to the Bosnia and Herzegovina national sitting volleyball team the same year.[1] He became one of their leading players in subsequent years, having recorded 148 appearances by 2019, a joint-record held along with Ismet Godinjak, Dževad Hamzić and Adnan Manko.[5][6] He became the team's captain in 2001 and contributed to their successes at numerous international competitions, having won a total of 27 international medals by the time of the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[3][7]

Delalić helped the Bosnian sitting volleyball team to a bronze medal at the European Championships in 1997, which was followed by a gold medal in 1999 and further titles in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015.[1][5][8] After a bronze in 2017, and a silver in 2019, Delalić helped Bosnia win another title in 2021 and their 11th European Championship in 2023.[1][9] He also has competed for Bosnia many times at the World Para Volleyball Championship, helping them win bronze in 1998, gold in 2002, 2006, and 2014, and silver in 2010, 2018, and 2022.[1][5][8]

Delalić has competed for Bosnia at every Summer Paralympics since 2000, contributing to their gold medals in 2004 and 2012, silver medals in 2000, 2008, 2016, and 2024, and a bronze medal in 2020.[1] From 2000 to 2016, Bosnia reached the finals at every Paralympics, and Delalić is one of five Bosnians – along with Godinjak, Hamzić, Manko, and Asim Medić – to have won seven career Paralympic medals.[1][10] His club, SDI Spid has also been successful, having won 18 national championships by 2016.[11]

Delalić has received many honors for his success in Bosnian sitting volleyball, being named the Bosnian Para Athlete of the Year in 1999, 2003, and 2023, as well as the Male Para Athlete of the Year in the Sarajevo Canton in 2014.[1][5] He was honored as the Best Setter at the 2015 European Championships, 2022 World Championships, and the 2023 Men's EuroLeague.[1] He served as the flagbearer for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics.[1] He was given the Recognition award from World ParaVolley in 2020, for "the recipient's significant contribution towards and development of sitting volleyball," and in 2023, he was given the organization's Distinguished Service award.[1] He has also received the Sixth of April Sarajevo Award and the Golden Lily plaque.[12] Delalić serves as President of the Paralympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is a member of the board of directors of the national sitting volleyball team.[12]

Personal life

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Delalić is also active in politics.[2] He was a member of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and served as the chairman of the Sarajevo City Council as well as on the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton.[2][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Delalic Sabahudin". Olympics.com – via archive.today.
  2. ^ a b c "Novi predsjedavajući Gradskog vijeća Sarajeva Sabahudin Delalić" [New Chairman of the Sarajevo City Council Sabahudin Delalić]. Zurnal.info (in Croatian). 12 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "Sabahudin Delalić, kapiten bh. reprezentacije u sjedećoj odbojci" [Sabahudin Delalić, captain of Bosnia and Herzegovina. national team in sitting volleyball - To victory with hard work and Bosnian spite]. Akta.ba (in Bosnian). 11 October 2012.
  4. ^ Daffunchio Picazo, Raúl (25 August 2024). "Sabahudin Delalic leads Bosnia's dreams at Paralympics". Inside the Games.
  5. ^ a b c d "REPREZENTACIJA BiH OSVOJILA ZLATNU MEDALJU U SJEDEÆOJ ODBOJCI" [THE REPRESENTATION OF BIH WON THE GOLD MEDAL IN SITTING VOLLEYBALL]. Bošnjaci.net (in Bosnian). 26 September 2004.
  6. ^ "Final Team Registration Form" (PDF). EuroSittingVolley.com. July 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  7. ^ "Bosnia volleyball team sets sights on Paralympic glory". Radio France Internationale. Agence France-Presse. 23 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b Ng, Kwok (26 September 2016). "Major Competitions". sittingvolleyball.omeka.net. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Godinjak: Nakon Pariza značajnija rekonstrukcija reprezentacije" [Godinjak: After Paris, a more significant reconstruction of the national team]. Federalna.ba (in Croatian). 23 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Paris 2024 Paralympic Games". World ParaVolley.
  11. ^ "Dževad Hamzić: Bogatiji za još jednu medalju" [Dževad Hamzić: Richer for another medal]. Nezavisne novine (in Bosnian). 12 December 2016. Archived from the original on 7 April 2025.
  12. ^ a b "DELALIĆ Sabahudin (BIH)". World ParaVolley.
  13. ^ "Sabahudin Delalić" (in Bosnian). Sarajevo Canton. 15 November 2018.
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