Shooting legend Zorana Arunovic (standing in the middle in the photo above) has been impressed with what she has seen during her two-day stay as a Safeguarding Officer of the IMMAF European Championships, in its Youth edition. The tournament ran from March 30 to March 31, with the Junior & Senior editions set to continue from April 2 to April 6. She has the highest certificate for Safeguarding through the IOC and works on that side of the sport with the same passion she carries into representing her beloved Serbia worldwide.
Zorana is a three-time Olympian, and is already qualified for the Paris games, this year, in which she will be representing Serbia for the fourth Olympics in a row, following appearances in London-2012, Rio-2016, and Tokyo-2020.
In fact, Zorana took time off from a busy scheduling of training to be present at the IMMAF European Championships on a counseling role ahead of a work trip to Hungary for another training camp. But not without speaking to IMMAF.org about her impressions on her first experience working in a mixed martial arts tournament.
‘’My idea of the entire sport has improved so much. It’s different from everything I’ve seen. Honestly, I’m so happy that I managed to be part of this event. I could have used that time to maybe do some training and rest ahead of my training camp in Budapest, but this has refreshed me more than any resting time. I changed surroundings, I met some really good people, and learned a lot. Not only about sport, but about my second profession, that of Safeguarding officer. IMMAF is a great organization and I’m very happy to be part of this’’.
Speaking specifically about the impact of Safeguarding on the sport, Arunovic was happy to see the work carrying through the next generation and said that the IMMAF European Championships alone could spark a positive domino effect regarding safe practices around the continent.
‘’I’m very happy, because whoever came here could see clearly that the IMMAF is working on making something better for MMA. You had kids from 12 to 17 in the last two days and those are the kids that I call future champions. And if you create something safe for them, you know that they are grow to be very safe people, they will know what Safeguarding is all about. In my experience, we are giving an example, not just to kids, but to those who are observing what we are doing. They are going to see the things that we are looking to establish, and when we see an organization like the IMMAF doing something like that, I can tell you it transfers to national federations, through national federations it transfers to clubs. From only one event, you will see so many good things everyone will carry home. At that age, whenever I went away for competitions, I would bring something good back, so hopefully they will bring this back with them’’.
Arunovic, who was named Serbian Sportswoman of The Year in 2010 following victory at that year’s World Championships, has used her role as a Safeguarding officer to give back to sport, after nearly 22 years at the top of her game.
‘I feel like I came to a point where I wanted to do something for the sport. I then signed up for the course on the Safeguarding officer and the mental health on elite athletes. I’m a member of the athletics commission within my own NOC (National Olympics Committee) and within the European Olympics Committee because I want to help change something for the generations that come after us. And I think that’s the proper way to use your experience for something good’’.
Zorana believes that the best way to positively impact the younger generations is to provide them with a safe space to practice their skills, while instilling in them a sense of safety. That is, after all, the role of a Safeguarding officer.
‘’Safeguarding is mostly directed towards protecting kids and young adults. And youth is what really matters. Today you might be a champion, but that can go away at any instant, but there is people staying behind, the future generations that are coming up, and we want to establish good surroundings for them so they can practice their sport in a safe environment. A Safeguarding Officer is someone who is looking to establish the safest conditions possible for kids and young adults to compete’’.
