One opportunity for Ivan's big sporting steps

Real people. Real stories. Real steps that change lives.

Ivan Šarić, born in 2013, is a young Croatian para athlete and wheelchair basketball player. He plays for KKI Brod under coach Igor Ograjšek.

Ivan was born with spina bifida, a diagnosis that means he uses orthopaedic aids. Yet his story is shaped above all by perseverance, dreams and a love of sport.

To play basketball, he needed a custom sports wheelchair. This aid was not available to him through the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, and its cost represented a major barrier for Ivan and his family.

Through the Walk for Those Who Cannot humanitarian campaign held at Jarun in 2025, and in cooperation with the Zagreb Amputee Association, Ivan received a sports wheelchair worth €6,372.86.

That wheelchair is more than sports equipment. It is an opportunity for Ivan to train, develop his abilities, be part of a community and build his future.

National team coach Ivica Vujica explains that sports wheelchairs are one of the essential requirements for including people with disabilities in wheelchair basketball, but also one of the greatest financial barriers for athletes and their families.

“We believe this wheelchair will give Ivan additional encouragement in his sporting development and inspire other young people to get involved in sport. Thank you for joining us in building a more inclusive society and making sport accessible to everyone,” Vujica said.

Ivan's story shows what can happen when a shared step removes a concrete barrier. This September, we are walking again for children and young people for whom an opportunity can open the door to sport and a better quality of life.

You do not have to walk 100 kilometres. One step is enough. Because sometimes that single step changes someone's life. None of us walks alone.