March 23, 2015
Refugee at age eleven, Australian Army Officer for ten years, to crossfit owner back in his home country of Bosnia, Vedran Maslic is a walking example of perseverance. Vedran and his girlfriend Esin Saribatir are on a mission to make a difference through crossfit.
They started CrossFit Sarajevo in August 2014, the first of its kind in Bosnia. "Our vision is to use the first official box in Bosnia & Herzegovina to promote positive change within this community," stated Vedran.
Why crossfit? Vedran and Esin were both introduced to crossfit while rehabilitating from injuries. Vedran from a double shoulder reconstruction and Esin from a series of wrist, shoulder and back injuries. They saw such great results in crossfit that they wanted to share it with others.
Crossfit Sarajevo is a not-for-profit business that's purpose is to help empower and strengthen the community, and surrounding nations, to promote unity. "Unfortunately, there seems to be a global trend of politics dividing rather than uniting. One of the great aspects of Crossfit is that regardless of race, religion, gender or age, athletes look to support one another, recognizing their efforts and achievements," expressed Vedran.
Vedran has been through a lot to get CrossFit Sarajevo started. Promotion has been a big area of focus utilizing their website, social media and stickers to spread the word. An interesting route was taken to get these stickers. Unfortunately, StickerGiant does not ship internationally but CrossFit Sarajevo got creative receiving stickers via Frank Jones, a U.S. diplomat supporting their business.
Vedran's perseverance continues on as he follows his dreams, "Whether it be in sport, business or politics, we each have a role to play in promoting a supportive, inclusive and tolerant society."
