Kosovo at the Olympics
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Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
made its
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...
debut as a member state in
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
. Its team is organized by the
Olympic Committee of Kosovo The Olympic Committee of Kosovo ( sq, Komiteti Olimpik i Kosovës, sr, Олимпијски комитет Косова / ''Olimpijski komitet Kosova'') is the National Olympic Committee representing Kosovo. Officially established in 1992, the O ...
(OCK), created in 1992 and recognized by the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
on 9 December 2014. It won its first medal in its debut appearance in 2016, when
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
ka
Majlinda Kelmendi Majlinda Kelmendi (; born 9 May 1991) is a Kosovan-Albanian former judoka and judo coach. In 2014, Majlinda topped the IJF Women's Prestige World Ranking List. On 7 August 2016, she became the first Kosovan athlete to win a medal at the Olymp ...
took gold in the women's -52 kg category. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Nora Gjakova won gold in the women's judo -57 kg class, and
Distria Krasniqi Distria Krasniqi (; born 10 December 1995) is a Kosovar judoka. She received a gold medal in the women's 48-kg judo competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In August 2021, she was awarded the Honor of the Nation Decoration of Albani ...
won gold in the women's judo -48 kg class.


History

In past Olympic Games, athletes born in what is now Kosovo participated as part of the
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
n team. In the
1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
, three football players born in
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
(
Milutin Šoškić Milutin Šoškić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милутин Шошкић; 31 December 1937 – 27 August 2022) was a Serbian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is considered one of FK Partizan's greatest players. Biography He was b ...
,
Fahrudin Jusufi Fahrudin Jusufi ( sr-Cyrl, Фахрудин Јусуфи, ; 8 December 1939 – 9 August 2019) was a Yugoslav footballer who most notably played for Partizan, Eintracht Frankfurt and the Yugoslav national team. Playing career Club career Jusufi ...
, and
Vladimir Durković Vladimir Durković (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир Дурковић; 6 November 1937 – 22 June 1972) was a Serbian football defender. He was part of the Yugoslav squad that won gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Career Club career Durkovi ...
) won gold as part of the
Yugoslavian national football team The Yugoslavia national football team; hr, Jugoslavenska nogometna reprezentacija; sl, Jugoslovanska nogometna reprezentanca; mk, Фудбалска репрезентација на Југославија, Fudbalska reprezentacija na Jugosl ...
. The first individual athlete from Kosovo who competed for
Yugoslavia at the Olympics Teams from Yugoslavia first participated at the Olympic Games in 1920. Previously, several athletes from Croatia, Slovenia and northern Serbian province Vojvodina had competed for Austria or Hungary when those countries were part of the Empire of A ...
was boxer
Mehmet Bogujevci Memet (Mehmet) Bogujevci (born 3 May 1951) is a Yugoslav former boxer. He competed in the men's welterweight event at the 1980 Summer Olympics. At the European Championships in 1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explod ...
in the
1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
men's welterweight category, reaching the quarterfinals. In the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
, boxer
Aziz Salihu Aziz Salihu (born 1 May 1954 in Pristina, Kosovo) is one of the best retired Super heavyweight boxer of Kosovar Albanian descent. He represented Yugoslavia at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, and won the bronze me ...
became the first individual athlete from Kosovo to win an Olympic medal, a bronze in the
super heavyweight Super heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and competitive bodybuilding. Boxing In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms (200 pounds). Introduced for th ...
class. In the following
1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...
, Salihu became the first Kosovan individual athlete to participate for a third time, again in
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
. The world-renowned judo coach of Kosovo is Driton Kuka. The bronze medalist at the European Championship in 1990 and the World Cup in Hungary in 1991 was to participate for
FR Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup A relationship breakup, breakup, or ...
in the
1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
, but Kosovo pulled out its competitors because of the repression of ethnic Albanians by the regime of Slobodan Milosevic.
Kosovo Albanian The Albanians of Kosovo ( sq, Shqiptarët e Kosovës, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovar/Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars/Kosovans, constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-gr ...
Luan Krasniqi Luan Krasniqi (born 10 May 1971) is a German actor and former professional boxer. He held the European heavyweight title and also challenged for the WBO world heavyweight title. Background Krasniqi is the youngest of eight children to Kosovar ...
won a bronze medal representing
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in
heavyweight boxing Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wor ...
at the
1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. In the
2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
in Sydney.
Taip Ramadani Taip Ramadani (born 1 January 1972) is an Australian handball coach, former Australian national team player and Sydney 2000 Olympian. Biography Handball Australia appointed Ramadani as the head coach of the national men's program in September 20 ...
became the first Kosovan Team athlete to represent
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in
Handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
. Another Boxer with Kosovan descent would take place, with
Naim Terbunja Naim Terbunja (born 28 September 1984 in Pristina, Yugoslavia – in present-day Kosovo) is a Swedish professional boxer of Kosovar-Albanian descent who qualified for the 2008 Olympics at middleweight. Terbunja lost his round of 32 match agains ...
representing
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
at the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
.
Fatmire Alushi Fatmire "Lira" Alushi (; born 1 April 1988) is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. She placed third in 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or competition, an annual award given to the world's best player. Club career ...
, who was born in Kosovo, in Istog won a bronze medal while playing on the German women's football team at the
2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...
in Beijing. Kosovo Albanian
Kosovare Asllani Kosovare Asllani (born 29 July 1989) is a Swedish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), striker or an Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder for Italian first division Serie A ...
won silver medals twice in
Football at the Summer Olympics Football at the Summer Olympics, referred to as the Olympic Football Tournament, has been included in every Summer Olympic Games as a men's competition sport, except 1896 (the inaugural Games) and 1932 (in an attempt to promote the new FIFA Wor ...
, first at the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
in Rio de Janeiro, representing the
Sweden women's national football team The Sweden women's national football team ( sv, Svenska damfotbollslandslaget) represents Sweden at international women's association football competitions and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association. History The Swedish team has be ...
. She achieved this feat again in the
women's tournament A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardle ...
in Tokyo. After the
breakup of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
, the
Olympic Committee of Kosovo The Olympic Committee of Kosovo ( sq, Komiteti Olimpik i Kosovës, sr, Олимпијски комитет Косова / ''Olimpijski komitet Kosova'') is the National Olympic Committee representing Kosovo. Officially established in 1992, the O ...
(OCK) was established 1992. However, only
Kosovo Serb Kosovo Serbs are one of the ethnic groups of Kosovo. There are around 100,000 Kosovo Serbs as of 2014 and about half of them live in North Kosovo. Other Serb communities live in southern Kosovo. After Albanians, they form the largest ethnic com ...
athletes participated as part of the Olympic teams of
Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
and
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovan Parliament declared independence from
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. World junior champion in judo,
Majlinda Kelmendi Majlinda Kelmendi (; born 9 May 1991) is a Kosovan-Albanian former judoka and judo coach. In 2014, Majlinda topped the IJF Women's Prestige World Ranking List. On 7 August 2016, she became the first Kosovan athlete to win a medal at the Olymp ...
, qualified for the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. She wanted to compete under the
flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
of Kosovo, but OCK was not recognized by the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC) at the time. Also, the IOC turned down Kelmendi's request to compete as an independent athlete. Kelmendi chose instead to represent
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
. In which she couldn't win the first ever medal for Albania as she lost in the Round of Sixteen of this tournament. In April 2013, the Brussels Agreement was concluded between the
Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...
and Kosovan governments. Kosovo was recognised as a provisional member of the IOC on 22 October 2014, before becoming a full member on 9 December 2014. At that time, Kosovo was not a member or observer state of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, but it had gained
diplomatic recognition Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral declarative political act of a state that acknowledges an act or status of another state or government in control of a state (may be also a recognized state). Recognition can be accorde ...
as a
sovereign state A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a polity, political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defin ...
by 97 out of 193 UN member states. Kelmendi, who had gone on to become World and European judo champion in 2013 and 2014, carried Kosovo's flag during the
Parade of Nations The Olympic Games ceremonies of the Ancient Olympic Games were an integral part of these Games; the modern Olympic games have opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies date back to the Ancient Games from ...
in the opening ceremonies in both
Rio 2016 The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
and
Tokyo 2020 The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
. Serbia protested Kosovo's admission to the IOC, as it officially claims that Kosovo is an
autonomous province Autonomous province is a term for a type of province that has administrative autonomy.Collins Dictionar ...
of Serbia. However, Serbia, considering the harmful effects of Yugoslavia's expulsion in 1992, decided against boycotting the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
as a consequence. Kosovo competed for the first time as a recognized Olympic nation at the
2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...
in Rio de Janeiro. In total eight athletes competed in various sports for Kosovo. Kosovo won one gold medal by Kelmendi in the women's -52kg class, the first Olympic medal for Kosovo in its history. As Kosovo finished their debut in the
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
in Rio de Janeiro in the 54th place. The Olympic Committee of Kosovo made its Winter Olympic debut at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang.
Albin Tahiri Albin Tahiri (born 15 February 1989) is a Kosovo Albanian World Cup alpine ski racer. He represented the Kosovo Olympic Committee for the first time in Winter Olympic Games in February 2018. Tahiri is a dentist by profession and he trained in Slo ...
was the flag-bearer at the
2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics was held at the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium in Pyeongchang, South Korea on 9 February 2018. It began at 20:00 KST and finished at approximately 22:20 KST. The Games were officially opened by Pr ...
. Kosovo competed in the Tokyo Games in 2021, with five male and six female competitors. Majlinda Kelmendi and
Akil Gjakova Akil Gjakova (born 4 January 1996) is a Kosovan judoka. He is a gold medalist at the Mediterranean Games and the European Judo Championships. Career He won the gold medal in the men's 73 kg event at the 2018 Mediterranean Games held in Tarrago ...
were the flag-bearers in the
Parade of Nations The Olympic Games ceremonies of the Ancient Olympic Games were an integral part of these Games; the modern Olympic games have opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies date back to the Ancient Games from ...
. Kosovo won two gold medals in the
2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
, both in judo.
Distria Krasniqi Distria Krasniqi (; born 10 December 1995) is a Kosovar judoka. She received a gold medal in the women's 48-kg judo competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In August 2021, she was awarded the Honor of the Nation Decoration of Albani ...
won the first gold medal for Kosovo in women's -48kg event. Nora Gjakova won the second gold medal for Kosovo in the women's -57kg event, the third gold medal overall for Kosovo at the Olympic Games. They won their two medals after three days of this competition, ranking them 7th on the Olympic Medal table, that particular day. Kosovo finished the
2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
in Tokio in the 42nd place. Their highest finish so far, as an nation. Kosovo competed at the
2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...
held in Beijing. Its Olympic team consisted of two athletes, one male and one female.
Albin Tahiri Albin Tahiri (born 15 February 1989) is a Kosovo Albanian World Cup alpine ski racer. He represented the Kosovo Olympic Committee for the first time in Winter Olympic Games in February 2018. Tahiri is a dentist by profession and he trained in Slo ...
competed in four alpine ski events. Kiana Kryeziu became the first woman in the history of
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
to compete at the
Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
, in the women's slalom. Albin Tahiri achieved the best result for Kosovo at the Winter Olympics in the men's combined event with a 15th-place finish. His second best finish came in the men's giant slalom where he finished 30th.


Participation


Timeline of participation


Medal tables


Medals by Summer Games


Medals by Winter Games


Medals by sport


List of medalists


List of total medal winners from Kosovo in its history


Olympic participants


Summer Olympics


Winter Olympics


Flagbearers


See also

*
Kosovo at the Paralympics The Paralympic Committee of Kosovo became a member of the International Paralympic Committee on 16 July 2022. Kosovo is expected to make its Paralympic debut at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France. Medal tables Medals by Summer Gam ...
*
Special Olympics Kosovo Special Olympics Kosovo is a sporting organisation for children and adults with intellectual disabilities that operates in Kosovo. It is part of the global Special Olympics movement. History Special Olympics Kosovo was founded in 2002. Athletes f ...
* Kosovo at the Youth Olympics * Kosovo at the Mediterranean Games * Kosovo at the European Games * Kosovo at the Jeux de la Francophonie * Kosovo at the Universiade *
Sport in Kosovo Sport in Kosovo has established tradition and plays a prominent role in society. Popular sports in Kosovo include football, basketball, volleyball, handball, and rugby, whereas major individual sports include wrestling, judo, swimming, boxing, ...
*
Sport in Pristina Prishtina is the epicenter of sport in Kosovo, where activity is organized across amateur and professional levels, sport organizations and clubs, regulated by the Kosovo Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. Prishtina is k ...


Notes


References


External links

* * *
Official website
{{National sports teams of Kosovo Nations at the Olympics Kosovo at multi-sport events