Miodrag Rakic, President, Serbian Savate Federation
Who are you?
My name is Miodrag Rakic and I am President of the Savate Federation of Serbia. I was born 2nd October 1959, and I live in Ruma, Serbia. For 22 years, I have been President and coach for the oldest Savate club in Serbia - Savate Boxing Club "Ruma".
How did you get involved in Savate?
I started with Savate in 1987. That year, my club joined with other clubs in Yugoslavia to make the Yugoslav Savate Federation. The Federation worked very well until 1991, when the civil war started in Yugoslavia. During that period, I was the General Secretary of the Federation and an international referee in Savate. I was an official at several international competitions, including: Rijeka 1988, Zagreb 1990, Milano 1990, and the European Championship in May 1990. I was awarded Silver Glove level 1 in 1990.
What is your role in Savate today?
I started a new Savate Federation of Serbia in 2003, and since that year I have been President and chief coach of the national team in Savate. The Serbian team now achieves good results in World and European Championships in both assaut and combat. Top Serbian fighter, Slobodan POPOV, became World Savate Assaut Champion twice, first in (Plovdiv 2004) and and then in Paris (2006). In 2007, Senior Men Goran BAJSANSKI (80-85kg) and Sasa CIROVIC (over 85kg) became World Vice-Champions in Combat, and Eva HALASI (60-65kg) became Vice-Champion in the Women's World Combat Championships. In the World Combat Championships for Junior men, we had one World Champion Sinisa ZELJKOVIC (under 56kg) and three Vice Champions Igor SIVOLJICKI (56-60kg), Dejan MITROVIC (70-75kg) and Dejan MARINKOVIC (75-80kg). Sinisa ZELJKOVIC also gained the European under 56kg Assaut title, with three other team members taking bronze medals.
Is Savate your job or your passion?
Savate is my job and my profession, as well as coaching, I carry out the functions of President of the Federation.
What do you think you have achieved in Savate?
In addition to my role in the Serbian Federation, I have also worked to develop Savate in countries that don't have federations and clubs, helping them to become part of FIS like Bosnia and Nigeria. Also, I have worked hard to make Savate a University sport in Serbia.
What do you think about the international development in Savate?
I want to help FIS and Savate become part of AGFIS and in the future part of the Olympics. Savate is an amateur sport and we must have a European Federation. In all Championships (World or European), we must include all the names and medal placings on the FIS website, if we want the Olympic or other sport federations, national or international, to take us seriously.
What are your future intentions/ideas for Savate?
We must start immediately with the organization of official Championships (European and World) for cadets and younger competitors in assaut. It is a very good thing that we have become part of University sport* in the World. Step by step, we must change some documents, develop Savate in new countries and help some of them to open new clubs and organize competitions and national federations.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I hope that next year we will have membership of AGFIS and in the future become part of the Olympic movement.
* Editor's note:
President Miodrag Rakic and the Serbian Federation played a strong part in Savate gaining FISU recognition by their support and their rapid response to show that Savate is practiced in Serbian Universities. The Serbian National University Championships will be officially recognized in 2008. Serbia is sometimes referred to as the crossroads of Europe, located in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula, on an important route linking Europe and Asia.
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