Judocoach Marjan Fabjan receives order of merit

Marjan Fabjan is awarded the Order of Merit for outstanding achievements in sports, which are confirmed by the top successes of Slovenian judoka. Marjan Fabjan is one of the most experienced, respected and successful coaches in the judo world. Coaches from all over the world come to the gym in Lopata to discover its secret: they find hard work, modest conditions and strict, today the legendary Fabjan's way of communicating.

All of this can be counterfeited - but only the fourth element brings success. This is Fabjan's life story, which has made his personality into an indisputable man, inspiring his competitors with respect and admiration. All children should be winners, says Fabjan.

When he learned Judo as an eight-year-old, he found order in it, along with belonging, acceptance and opportunity - everything he didn't have in his life. Devoting all his time and perseverance, in 1978 he entered judo as a comet, becoming junior and senior champion of Yugoslavia, winning bronze at the European Championship.

He worked more than others, demanded more of himself than anyone else, went first to another club and then to another country, he was champion of Austria in 1989 and 1990 and returned home during Slovenia's independence. In 1992 he became national champion in his home country.

He thought he should become a coach. He built a training center with his friends at Lopata pri Celje with his own hands, because it was clear that he would only be able to work independently. Nothing could have happened, but Fabjan's gym became a magnet for children from the area.

As head coach and mentor, he raised Slpvenia’s most successful judoka, including Urška Žolnir, Petra Nareks, Lucija Polavder, Rok Draksič, Tina Trstenjak and Anamari Velenšek. His school's first international successes came after ten years, when Slovenia hosted the European Championship for the first time in 2002. Petra Nareks won bronze medal in the competition in Maribor. Only two years later, Urška Žolnir secured the first Olympic medal in 2004 and the first Olympic gold in 2012.

Marjan Fabjan can say today: »Six Olympic medals for Slovenian judo were won by competitors living in Celje, within a radius of 15 kilometers. When the Chinese hear this, they bow to us on the ground.

Today, about twenty coaches work at Fabjan's gym and train more than three hundred members of all ages.

Marjan Fabjan made his own success story. In his Spartanism is strength, reliability, care for each other and even love. This is the secret of his success. Nobody loves Judo as much as Marjan Fabjan. And he also loves his competitors. Urška Žolnir says he wants them not just to be good competitors - he wants them to be good people.

With the order of Merit, Slovenia thanks Marjan Fabjan for the high successes, special achievements and inspiration for people.