The Government of Kosovo has approved the programme, “Super Athletes”, through which it aims to increase the number of Olympic norms and Olympic medals for Kosovo for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
This programme looks to support future athletes with support worth four million euros in the Olympic sport. Of course this programme has been heavily influenced by the success in judo and this programme has been prepared by field professionals from the Kosovo Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, and sports journalism, is led by the chief master of three Olympic gold medals in judo, Driton Kuka.
The Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrullah Çeku, stated,
‘Super Athletes’ aims to provide sustainable support for the country’s athletes, focusing on athletes with high potential to achieve success in the international sports events. Deputy Minister Daulina Osmani added that besides LA 2028, the programme also aims to increase the number of medals in World Championships, European Championships, and the Mediterranean Games.
The approval of the programme is also welcomed by the Kosovo Olympic Committee, on which occasion President Ismet Krasniqi declared that such support, along with Olympic scholarships and Olympic hopes, demonstrates the commitment of the Government and the Kosovo NOC to further advance sports, particularly the number of Olympic norms and medals.
In just two participations in the Summer Olympic Games, Kosovo has won three Olympic gold medals, one in Rio 2016 with Majlinda Kelmendi and two in Tokyo 2020 with Distria Krasniqi and Nora Gjakova, all in judo. For the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Kosovo has five judoka who are within the qualifying quota and one qualified boxer.
Author: Thea Cowen