President Vjosa Osmani has used social media to compel Indian authorities to rethink their choice and permit Kosovo to compete using its flag and anthem.
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Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has voiced his displeasure with the decision to prevent boxer Donjeta Sadiku from competing in the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Championships 2023. Sadiku was only permitted to compete provided she wore no apparel with printed national symbols and competed without any of them. Officials from Kosovo have criticized this provision as unfair and against international sporting norms. President Vjosa Osmani has used social media to compel Indian authorities to rethink their choice and permit Kosovo to compete using its flag and anthem.
The Boxing Federation of India’s attitude caused Sadiku to withdraw from the Women’s World Championships, and the Kosovo Government has expressed its discontent with it. Hajrulla Çeku, Kosovo’s Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, has warned that such actions won’t go undetected and would have repercussions. Kosovo officials feel they have the right to compete under their flag and the national anthem because the IBA has recognized the Kosovo Boxing Federation.
Read more – Kosovo Women’s Boxing Team Refuses to Compete in Worlds
Sadiku struggled to get a visa to India because that country does not recognize the independence of Kosovo but was finally successful in getting one through Bulgaria. However, when organizers enforced ethnic restrictions, the Kosovo Olympic Committee (KOK) declined to send Sadiku. The IBA had voiced dissatisfaction with the host government’s approach, claiming that it had “done everything necessary” to assure Kosovo’s attendance in New Delhi. The international federation stressed in a statement that it always supports athletes’ right to represent their national emblems but that it has no power to sway international relations. The IBA reaffirmed its support for international and politically neutral sports as well as its dedication to defending the ability of its athletes to participate without hindrance.
However, after Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin attended the Women’s World Championships opening ceremony, a top official from the Kosovo Government criticized the IBA. Contrary to the International Olympic Committee’s advice in light of the conflict in Ukraine, athletes from Russia and Belarus are permitted to compete while flying their national flags and singing their national songs. Many National Federations, including those from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine, have decided to boycott the event as a result of this choice. A Minister of [Vladimir] Putin’s government was seated next to the IBA President, the International Federation that forbade Donjeta Sadiku from participating with Kosovo’s state symbols in boxing, according to Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports, Daulina Osmani.
Read more: Russia names squad for Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023
In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. In 2014, the IOC acknowledged the KOK. Although there remains disagreement in the international community over Kosovo’s recognition, Serbia continues to see it as an independent region of its own nation. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) criticized the IBA in October 2021 for not performing the “necessary due diligence” before deciding to give the Men’s World Championships to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. At least three times during that competition, Serbian officials denied Kosovo’s team admittance.
Read more: Boxer faces Visa issues for Women’s World Boxing Championships
