Milomir Jamina from “Orao” Has Taken Part in Workers’ Sports Games with His Colleagues for 40 Years
Sport as a Symbol of Unity, Camaraderie and Team Spirit
“Sport is an expression of unity, camaraderie and solidarity. I have been working at ‘Orao’ since 1986 as a sales representative, and from my very first day I began connecting with colleagues who shared my passion for sport. We took part in workers’ sports competitions, and the hundreds of medals, trophies and certificates preserved at our company are testament to the success we achieved,” says Milomir Jamina, an employee of Bijeljina-based “Orao” and a passionate sports enthusiast.
In his office, Milomir has selected some of the most significant and cherished sporting awards he received together with his colleagues. Among them is the trophy for first place in bowling at the Balkan Workers’ Sports Games, held in Bulgaria in 2004.
“My greatest love has always been football, but some years ago Teodosije Kecman, ‘Orao’s’ Technical Director at the time, got us hooked on bowling. In 2004, we were the champions of the city of Bijeljina, which earned us an invitation to the Balkan Championship in the Bulgarian resort of Albena. Four of us from ‘Orao’ travelled to Bulgaria, and we came home with the gold medal. To this day, I still play bowling with my colleagues at the ‘OSA Galaks’ club in Patkovača, which competes in the First League of Republika Srpska,” says Milomir Jamina, better known to his colleagues and friends by his nickname Mili.
Jamina recalls that even during the war years, he and his colleagues in Rajlovac managed to find time for sport.
“I remember how we used aircraft-engine crates to fence off part of the yard, creating a football pitch during breaks from the fighting, just 200 metres from the enemy lines. That sporting spirit never left us, because it gave us positive energy even in the most difficult moments. Before the Defence and Patriotic War, when ‘Orao’ had more than 1,000 employees, we took part in workers’ sports competitions across Yugoslavia and were always among the leading teams in terms of results,” adds Milomir Mili Jamina.
He points out that ‘Orao’s’ sports team organises workers’ sports events in Bijeljina every year to mark the company’s anniversary, while also responding to invitations from other companies, enterprises and associations.
“I have to emphasise that our strongest and longest-standing cooperation, in terms of mutual visits over many years, has been with the ‘Drinić’ Sports Association, dating back to 2000. However, every sports event and gathering is interesting in its own way, and we always do our best to respond to invitations, regardless of the sport involved – from chess to volleyball. At one point, we even took part in sports tournaments in Libya, and one of the certificates we received there is now displayed in my office in Bijeljina,” Jamina emphasises.
He adds that work has always come first at ‘Orao’, but that sport is extremely important for the entire workforce.
“Sport brings our sense of unity to the fore, and that is why I hope that in the future we will have even more young colleagues at ‘Orao’ who will put their sporting skills to good use by fostering camaraderie and building new friendships. We have already approached the company’s management with the idea of bringing all our trophies, medals and certificates together in a single space. I therefore hope that, before I retire next year, I will have the opportunity to see all of our sporting achievements displayed together in one showcase. And that showcase will have to be a very large one,” Milomir Mili Jamina concludes with a smile.
