Novak Djokovic sparks controversy for accepting an honor previously awarded to war criminals
Yesterday, the world's best tennis player Novak Djokovic was awarded the Order of the Republika Srpska - the highest honor in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. But the award has a controversial history, and Djokovic has come under the scanner for accepting it.
Novak Djokovic is in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a family trip this week. After his visit to the capital Sarajevo and the Bosnian Valley of Pyramids in Visoko, Djokovic met with Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency.
It was there that Dodik presented Djokovic with the "Order of the Republic of Srpska", for his work towards promotion of tennis in Bosnia's Serb-majority region known as Republika Srpska.
Novak Djokovic is one of 12 persons in history to receive the honor.
According to sources, the medal had been awaiting Djokovic for seven years. The recognition was actually given to the World No. 1 back in 2013, on the Day of the Republic of Srpska.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion accepted the award on the Jahorina Mountain. Djokovic then toured the famous Olympic ski track named after the tennis great himself, with Dodik for company.
List of previous awardees a troublesome sign for Novak Djokovic
Even in receiving an award, Novak Djokovic has somehow managed to keep up his recent streak of attracting controversy. This time the worrying sign is the rather questionable history of the 'Order of the Republika Srpska' honor.
Many of the past awardees have done things nobody would want their name to be associated with. A Balkan political expert explained that the past recipients of the Order include convicted war criminals charged with genocide and crimes against humanity (during the Yugoslav wars).
The list of past awardees includes former politician Radovan Karadzic, former military commander Ratko Mladić, former political leader Momčilo Krajišnik, former president of Republika Srpska Biljana Plavšić and former Serbian president Slobodan Milošević. All of these individuals have been found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity after due trials in international courts.
Needless to say, Djokovic's acceptance of this 'honor' has not gone down well with his Bosnian fans. Many on social media have questioned why the tennis legend wants his name to be associated with convicted war criminals.
The incident also caught the attention of Great Britain's Member of Parliament Arminka Helic, who is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The British MP of Bosnian origin said that receiving an honor previously bestowed upon war criminals was not the best way to commemorate the anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre.
Helic also said that being associated with those other awardees in any way is not a good look for the role model that Novak Djokovic is supposed to be.
Another political enthusiast and Foreign Policy expert tweeted that joining a list filled with names of convicts would only hurt Novak Djokovic's reputation further - as will being seen with Milorad Dodik, who is currently under sanctions imposed by the United States government.
However, a few fans looked at the incident from Novak Djokovic's point of view, and explained that refusing the award would be considered highly inappropriate by Serbians in both Bosnia and his own country.
It is possible that Novak Djokovic was rendered helpless due to political pressure back home, and had no option but to accept the honor. If, however, he accepted the award out of his own free will, it once again raises questions about his political views - which a few people claim is already veering towards hardline Serbian nationalism.
That said, Novak Djokovic could be given the benefit of doubt here considering athletes at the top level are sometimes not fully aware of their political responsibilities and powers. Moreover, accepting an award that has previously been associated with a few bad people doesn't necessarily make the recent awardee bad.
It must also be noted that Novak Djokovic has been bestowed with the honor for the promotion of tennis in Bosnia, and not due to his political affiliations or views.