Kosovo NOC News

10 Oct 2023 - Find here the latest news from the National Olympic Committee: events, courses, general assemblies and elections, trophies and much more.

10 October 2023 - The NOC, in cooperation with the Ministry for Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS), hosted the fifth edition of the “Sport Forum” Conference, which was held as part of the European Week of Sport 2023. “Be Active” was the motto of the Week. The conference took place in the form of a panel discussion. Along with the Prishtina 2030 Mediterranean Games, other topics discussed included the activities organised during the week and the importance of physical activity. The participants included heads of sports federations, MCYS representatives and the Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at the University of Pristina, Musa Selimi. More details at www.noc-kosovo.org.

16 March 2023 - Judoka Distria Krasniqi and boxer Shpetim Bajoku were crowned Best Athletes of the Year during the 2022 Sports Prize ceremony hosted by the Kosovo Olympic Committee on 25 February. It was the third consecutive title for Krasniqi. The NOC President, Ismet Krasniqi, and the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, presented the award to Krasniqi, and Bajoku received his award from the NOC Vice-President, Gazmend Maxhuni, and the Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Daulina Osmani. Awards were also presented to the Coach of the Year, the best male and female teams, and men and women Olympic Hopefuls, while a special award honoured retired journalists. More details at www.noc-kosovo.org

12 December 2022 -The Kosovo Olympic Committee, through the Women and Sport Commission and in cooperation with UN Women and the UNKT (United Nations Kosovo Team), recently hosted a forum on the topic “Empowering girls and women to prevent abuse in sports”. NOC President Ismet Krasniqi and the UN Women Coordinator Arnhild Spence opened the forum, which took the form of a panel discussion. Among the panellists were Daulina Osmani, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Edi Gusia, Chief Executive Officer of the Agency for Gender Equality, and Ulpiana Emra, former basketball player, now a sports journalist and commentator. The panellists and participants, most of whom were federation and club members, discussed the prevention of abuse in sports in Kosovo, gave recommendations and addressed the best ways to report cases. Detailed info here.

10 October 2022 - To celebrate the 2022 European Week of Sport, the Kosovo NOC hosted the “Sport Forum” Conference in Pristina. The conference started with a minute’s silence in honour of Belul Beqaj, one of the NOC’s founders, who passed away recently. The 2022 edition of the Week was organised by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. The conference featured panels addressing the following topics: “Impact of the European Week of Sport over the years” and “Involvement, motivation and volunteering among young people in sports activities”. The participants included representatives from the NOC, the Ministry, sports federations, the Kosovo National Paralympic Committee and volunteers. More details here.

18 March 2022 - Olympic champion Distria Krasniqi and European champion Akil Gjakova, both judoka, have been named “Female Athlete of the Year” and “Male Athlete of the Year”, respectively, during the “Laureates of 2021” ceremony (see photo), organised in Pristina. The ceremony was attended by the Kosovo Olympic Committee President, Ismet Krasniqi, the Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Daulina Osmani, and the President of the Albanian NOC, Fidel Ylli. Athletes, representatives of municipalities and sponsors were also in attendance, along with representatives of sports federations, who had the opportunity to present the other awards with members of the NOC Executive Board and other guests. More info at www.noc-kosovo.org.

20 December 2021 - On the occasion of the seventh anniversary of its recognition by the IOC, the Kosovo Olympic Committee hosted a ceremony to award prizes to the athletes who participated in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020; to distribute the series of Olympic pins; and to sign the Olympic Scholarships for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. For the success achieved at Tokyo 2020, the NOC awarded prizes to Olympic judo champions Nora Gjakova and Distria Krasniqi, their coach, Driton Kuka, and each of the participating athletes. Preparing the way for Paris 2024, stipend agreements for 22 athletes selected by the NOC Athletes’ Commission (photo), a list that may change depending on their performance, were signed. NOC President Ismet Krasniqi and the Sports Minister, Hajrullah Çeku, presented the prizes to the athletes while congratulating them for their performance. More info at www.noc-kosovo.org.

14 December 2020 - On 24 November, the NOC of Kosovo and the nongovernmental organisation “Let’s Clean Kosovo” (LCK) launched a national campaign entitled “Let’s colour the country.” This campaign envisages that, within 10 years, 1.8 million trees will be planted throughout Kosovo, as many as the inhabitants that live in the country, based on the latest statistics. NOC President Besim Hasani and LCK Executive Director Luan Hasanaj appointed Rio 2016 Olympic champion in judo Majlinda Kelmendi as the campaign’s Ambassador. Its launch event was held at the University of Pristina Campus Olympic Corner. Find out more here.

13 june 2019 -The Kosovo Olympic Committee marked the World Day of Sport and the Environment on 5 June with a major sporting event. The aim was also to promote empowerment and raise awareness around the role of women in sport, for which the Zahir Pajaziti square in Pristina hosted numerous athletes, leading state figures, deputies and prominent figures from sport and culture, including the President of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci; the former President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga; and the NOC President, Besim Hasani. All the personalities also practised various sports alongside with female athletes. At the end of the event, as is now traditional, the NOC leaders and the other participants headed to the University of Pristina campus, where they planted the 2019 Olympic Tree, while sports clubs planted another 50 trees. More details here.

20 décembre 2018 - The NOC of Kosovo marked the fourth anniversary of its recognition by the IOC with a gala evening on 9 December. Guests included the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj; the Minister for Youth, Culture and Sport, Kujtim Gashi; and Rio 2016 Olympic judo champion Majlinda Kelmendi. Following a welcome speech by NOC President Besim Hasani, a posthumous award was given to Fadil Vokrri, the former Kosovan Football Federation and NOC Vice-President, who died six months ago. Kelmendi presented an Olympic participants’ pin to Albin Tahiri, who represented Kosovo at the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. The NOC also honoured a number of athletes and other important sporting figures who have contributed to sports development for over 50 years. More details at www.noc-kosovo.org.

11 June 2018 - Kosovo’s NOC staged its seventh Olympic Day on Friday 25 May. At the centre of the celebrations were 5,000 local children born in 2008 – the year of the country’s independence – who took part in a variety of events held in seven cities across the country. Around half of the 5,000 youngsters gathered in the main square in Pristina, the Kosovan capital, ahead of a fun run. Decked out in yellow, white and blue T-shirts – the colours of the Kosovan national flag – they were welcomed by Besim Hasani, the NOC President. Kosovo’s Olympic Day celebrations, which are organised in collaboration with local educational departments and which were also held this year in the cities of Gjilan, Gjakova, Prizren, Mitrovica, Peja and Ferizaj, were staged to coincide with the anniversary of the country’s NOC, which was founded on 27 May 1992. Full details here.