Krasniqi: We want to strengthen the federations and invest in sports infrastructure
Read about: 5 min.
2 years ago
The link was copied
The president of the Kosovo Olympic Committee (KOK), Ismet Krasniqi, considers 2021 a very successful year with culminating results for Kosovo in sports. Two gold medals at Tokyo 2020 was undoubtedly the historic moment that marked the sport last year. However, this year comes with other goals where KOK is working to strengthen federations and invest in sports infrastructure.
Although with many busy activities and successive challenges, Krasniqi tells KosovaPress that this year put Kosovo in the center of the world with the successes achieved by the judo team.
"More than Kosovo managed to win two medals, the two gold ones in Tokyo 2020 where Distria Krasniqi and Nora Gjakova won the first place. [...] Finally, the icing on the cake was when Driton Kuka was announced as the best coach in the world in the Judo Federation and Distria Krasniqi was announced as the best athlete in the world in her category, and this has really made us feel proud of us as the Olympic Committee and of all Kosovo, I believe", said Krasniqi.
In the past, it happened that Kosovo athletes received offers to represent other countries, as was the case with Majlinda Kelmendi. The president of KOK, Krasniqi, says that they have to commit to the maximum so that there are no such cases.
"It is true that other countries give huge payments to competitors and for any important competition such as the Olympic Games and normal that our athletes can also buy. Our luck is that the great will as a new country and the patriotism of them and their family members pushed them to leave all the good things offered by other countries and represent Kosovo. I don't know how long we can postpone this, but we have to work in this aspect and favor them, give them even more will and motivation so that they really feel good and enjoy what they are doing for the state own", said Krasniqi.
As for this year, Krasniqi says that KOK has many sports activities planned, including the Winter Olympic Games, while adding that they are also working through European organizations to invest in the regulation of sports infrastructure in the country.
"Right at the beginning, in the first quarter of 2022, two very important winter games are waiting for us, such as Beijing 2022 and Vukati 2022, then we also have various other activities, but our focus is to work on a strategy so that we have opportunities of investments in Kosovo. We are working as the Olympic Committee to win various projects in the European community, the European Parliament, where I myself was there in the meeting and we received very good promises that in 2022 we will win a project that we have been looking for, a very big. [...] Our goal is to increase the Olympic Committee as much as possible in order to strengthen the federations of Kosovo", added Krasniqi.
The president of KOK expresses his satisfaction with the work of sports federations in the country, but emphasizes that a large number of them are in difficult conditions and without opportunities to exercise their activities.
"We have federations that have many activities, but we also have federations that have impossible activities since they have very weak infrastructure or none at all. As we have some new sports that are, we mentioned golf, we don't have a big golf field, then we have the Padel Federation that is now open, they don't have a place, they are interested in investing but with a commitment from the Committee Olympic very soon we will make a solution to find a place where they can build a field for padelj, a very attractive sport and so on. In general, I am satisfied, a lot of work is being done, the results themselves show how much work is being done", said the head of the Kosovo Olympic Committee at the end.
Krasniqi expressed readiness for continuous and ever greater support so that local sports can have the greatest success in the international arena.
