Olympic Committee of Kosovo

The Olympic Committee of Kosovo (Albanian: Komiteti Olimpik i Kosovës, Serbian: Олимпијски комитет Косова / Olimpijski komitet Kosova) is the National Olympic Committee representing Kosovo[lower-alpha 1]. Officially established in 1992, the OCK became a full member of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Movement on 9 December 2014.[2] It is responsible for Kosovo's participation at the Olympic Games.

Olympic Committee of Kosovo
Country/Region Kosovo
CodeKOS
Created1992
Recognized9 December 2014
Continental
Association		EOC
HeadquartersPristina
PresidentBesim Hasani[1]
Secretary GeneralShasivar Haxhijaj
Websitenoc-kosovo.org/

Kosovo participated at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan and participated at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Judoka Majlinda Kelmendi became the first Kosovar athlete to win a medal of any colour when she won gold in the women's 52kg weight division at the Games.[3] The Committee was represented for the first time at the Winter Olympics at PyeongChang 2018 by skier Albin Tahiri.[4][5]

A Paralympic federation is planned.[6]

History
See also: Kosovo at the Olympics

The Olympic Committee of Kosovo (OCK) was officially established in 1992.[7] The United Nations-led administration in Kosovo previously established a working group to engage with the IOC to allow athletes to participate in the Olympic Games. Due to its status, Kosovan athletes were not allowed to compete under the flag of Kosovo, until the recognition in 2014. Therefore, during the 2012 Summer Olympics, Kosovan judoka and world champion, Majlinda Kelmendi had to compete for Albania instead.[8] Kosovan athletes of Serbian ethnicity participated as part of Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia.

In April 2013, the Brussels Agreement was concluded between the Serbian and Kosovan governments. In October 2014 the International Olympic Committee provisionally recognised the Olympic Committee of Kosovo and gave it full membership on 9 December 2014.[9][10] At that time, Kosovo was not a member or observer state of the United Nations, but it has gained diplomatic recognition as a sovereign state by 113 out of 193 UN member states. Kosovo participated for the first time in the Rio de Janeiro games of the 2016 Summer Olympics.[11] Kosovo won their first olympic golden medal in their first participation in any olympics games, in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The medal has been won in judo by Mailinda Kelmendi in the category of -52kg.

Prior to the IOC recognition, Kosovo athletes have taken part in the Special Olympics from 2003.[12][13] A body known as the Special Olympics Kosovo was established to provide support for these athletes.[14] Athletes from Kosovo participated at the 4th World Sports Games for Little People in Rambouillet, France in 2005.,[15] in the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, in the 2015 IHF Emerging Nations Championship, etc.

See also

Notes
  1. Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognized as an independent state by 98 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 113 UN member states recognized Kosovo at some point, of which 15 later withdrew their recognition.

References
  1. Fillimi Archived 2008-09-19 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "127th IOC Session comes to close in Monaco". International Olympic Committee. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2016. A day after unanimously approving Olympic Agenda 2020, the 127th IOC Session got straight back to business today in Monaco by granting full recognition to the National Olympic Committee of Kosovo.
  3. MacPhail, Cameron (7 August 2016). "Majlinda Kelmendi makes history with victory in women's judo as Kosovo wins first ever gold medal". rio2016.com. Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  4. GazetaExpress (2018-02-05). "Kosovo participating Winter Olympics for the first time". Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
  5. "Kosovo granted provisional Olympic recognition by IOC". Reuters. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
  6. "Exclusive: Kosovo now targeting Paralympic membership following Olympics acceptance". Inside The Games. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  7. "The NOC of Kosovo was established in 1992 and has more than 30 affiliated National Federations (NFs)." Olympic.org. Olympic Games.
  8. Brajshori, Muhamet (2012-07-24). "Kosovo disappointed about Olympics snub". SETimes.com. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  9. Olympics: IOC has no concerns over Kosovo recognition
  10. "Kosovo to compete at Rio 2016 Olympics after recognition from IOC", Associated Press, 9 December 2014.
  11. Kosovo given go-ahead by IOC to take part in 2016 Olympics
  12. "Team Kosovo". Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  13. 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games > EE.SO Kosovo Archived 2008-09-19 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Kosovo". Archived from the original on 2008-11-01. Retrieved 2008-01-14.
  15. Little People of Kosova Archived 2008-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
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