Kosovo is preparing to participate in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, held from February 6 to 22, with a small but ambitious team, representing the country in alpine disciplines and aiming for better results than in previous editions. The Olympic Committee of Kosovo and the Skiing Federation have invested in intensive training and continuous support for the athletes, while the athletes themselves express motivation and readiness for this major challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a press conference, Ismet Krasniqi, President of the Olympic Committee of Kosovo, emphasized the strategic importance of participation in the Winter Games and the ongoing commitment of the OKK to support athletes by providing resources and programs that help them prepare at their maximum potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese Winter Games are very important for the Olympic Committee of Kosovo and for all our athletes. As you know, Kosovo is represented by two athletes\u2026 Kiana Kryeziu, who will compete in three alpine disciplines, and Drin, who, together with his coach Agim Popoci and Kiana\u2019s coach Visar Kryeziu\u2026 Over the years, together with the Skiing Federation, we have tried to support our athletes with Olympic scholarships and training camps, which we know are not easy at all,\u201d Krasniqi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Milaim Kelmendi, President of the Skiing Federation, assessed the professional preparation of the athletes, highlighting the experience and intensive training that places Kosovo\u2019s team at a more competitive level than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNever in the history of Kosovo skiing have athletes been as prepared as they are now going to the Cortina Olympics. So I wish great success to the competitors first of all, and I expect better results than in previous editions. Knowing that they have had many days of training on snow and have never lacked support\u2026 I therefore expect the best possible results at this upcoming Olympics,\u201d Kelmendi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alpine skier Kiana Kryeziu, already with Olympic experience from Beijing, shared her personal experience and expectations for her performance in three alpine disciplines, demonstrating her commitment and ambition to represent Kosovo at her best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMore or less, this is a continuation of my career. I was 17 in Beijing, where I competed in only one discipline, the Giant Slalom. Now, after four years, a lot of work and dedication, I have enabled myself to compete in three disciplines. Everything is the result of hard work, dedication, and constant support. I expect good results from myself, a much better performance than last time, and a dignified representation of the country,\u201d Kryeziu said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drin Kokaj, making his debut at a Winter Olympics, described the challenges and difficulties of qualifying, showing his determination and hope to deliver a world-class performance for Kosovo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor me, the Milano Cortina Olympic Games is the first time I will represent Kosovo at the world\u2019s biggest event. This Olympic journey has been more difficult because qualifying for the Olympics was set by the International Federation with stricter standards than in previous editions. In other words, the requirements were tighter, and we had to prove the level we are capable of for this Olympics. I have done that, and I hope our representation will be at the highest possible world level,\u201d Kokaj stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kiana Kryeziu also represented Kosovo at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, while Milano Cortina 2026 will be Drin Kokaj\u2019s first Olympic appearance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kosovo is preparing to participate in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, held from February 6 to 22, with a small but ambitious team, representing the country in alpine disciplines and aiming for better results than in previous editions. The Olympic Committee of Kosovo and the Skiing Federation have invested in intensive training and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":79710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[301,299],"tags":[7349,2386,2473],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79709"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79709"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79709\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79711,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79709\/revisions\/79711"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kosovapress.com\/eng\/admin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}