Slaven DIZDAREVIĆ (SVK)

Olympian Artist – Painting, photography: Tokyo 2020

Track and field athlete Slaven Dizdarević was born in Sarajevo and spent most of his childhood in what had been the Olympic Village, where his family were given an apartment after the 1984 Winter Olympics.

At the age of 10, Dizdarević and his family moved to Slovakia, where he started training in track and field disciplines and also launched himself into art classes at school.

His talent for painting was first recognised during a national painting competition, and his sporting prowess came to the fore as he became junior national champion in the high jump. In 2008 in Beijing, Dizdarević became the first Slovak decathlete to participate in the Olympic Games. He holds several national titles in the decathlon, high jump and hurdle sprints. Slaven Dizdarević now lives and works between Lausanne and Gstaad, Switzerland, where he is a sports coach, and has also fully transitioned into being a painter and photographer.

ARTISTIC PROJECT

CELEBRATING THE GAMES

All the continents come together in a festive celebration of the Olympic Games. The five Olympic rings represent the five continents. The sky above Tokyo is lit up in the colours of these rings and shines down on the celebrating couples. Fifteen couples at the forefront of the painting create all possible combinations. © 2021 – Slaven Dizdarević

NEW SPORTS

The Tokyo 202O Olympic Games in 2021 saw the inclusion of five new sports on the programme. These were baseball/softball, surfing, karate, skateboarding and sport climbing. Each sport carries one of the colours of the Olympic rings, which symbolically unite all the continents. © 2021 – Slaven Dizdarević

THE OLYMPIC VALUES

This painting reflects the main values of the Olympic Movement. Rising above the city of Tokyo, respect, friendship, and excellence stand next to each other, while the sun, in the shape of the Japanese flag, bathes the city’s buildings in its light, with Mount Fuji in the background. © 2021 – Slaven Dizdarević

PROTECTION

Sumo wrestling, the national sport of Japan, dates back to ancient times. Throwing salt in the air is a ritual that sumo wrestlers perform before each match. In this painting, the sumo wrestler gives the city of Tokyo and the Olympic Games magical protection and purifies the space, which is the main purpose of this ritualistic practice. The salt merges with the night sky, creating stars that provide light and give hope for the challenging times the world is facing today. © 2021 – Slaven Dizdarević

DETERMINATION

One of the main qualities of successful athletes is their determination to achieve their goals. Only the best make it onto the podium, but all Olympians carry the values of Olympism with them. The podium that emerges from the ground in this painting is formed by the buildings and the lights shining through the windows. The scenery of Tokyo is shaped by the podium while respect, friendship and excellence take their medals. © 2021 – Slaven Dizdarević

ALL TOGETHER

Against the backdrop of Mount Fuji, the Skytree and the sun, in the colours of the Japanese flag, five hands connect to represent the Olympic rings. Each hand symbolises one of the five continents with one of the five colours in the background, while the open hands mean that we are all connected, we are all one, and we have all the continents within us. © 2021 – Slaven Dizdarević

Kelly Salchow MacArthur participated in the Paris edition of the Olympian Artists programme by leading creative workshops to create collages inspired by the Olympic values and photographs taken in their local neighborhood with at-risk children living in foster homes in the 10th and 19th districts of Paris in October 2023.

"We talked about Olympic values, which can truly provide life lessons and guidance in terms of the choices we make when faced with decisions. The values of self-confidence, resilience, determination, teamwork, self-actualization, fair play, and setting long-term goals can guide us in pursuing our strengths to the point of reaching our potential."

Questions and answers

What does being an Olympian or Paralympian mean to you personally? How does it define your approach to life and how you view yourself and the world?

To me, being an Olympian means having the chance to inspire people around me and bring them the same joy and passion that the journey to becoming an Olympian brought to me. In my work as a sports coach, I feel a responsibility to be a good ambassador of the Olympic values, especially when working with younger generations.

When we talk about “Olympic culture”, what does that mean to you?

For me, Olympic culture means the long-term legacy that Olympism leaves behind, living the Olympic values in your daily life and carrying yourself like an athlete on the sports field, and off it. And this culture is exactly what defines Olympism, reaching beyond sports competitions. The Olympic Games unite people across the globe and inspire us to share joy and passion with the whole world through art-based and educational activities as well as sports competition. The Games inspire young generations and motivate them to lead better lives.

If you could go back in time and give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Relax, everything will be alright.

Are there parallels in your approach to your art and your approach to your sport? Or do you find that the two dimensions bring/brought out totally different sides of your personality?

My approach to sport and art is very similar and, many times, the same. Both art and sport bring out the same intensity and desire in me to improve, which is a necessary obsession to have in order to reach my goals, have the ability to overcome obstacles in my journey and stay focused. Experiencing an altered state of mind and entering a “flow state” are both prominent features of both activities.