Kosovan athletes rewarded for years of performances

The performances of the Kosovan women’s athletes have not been unnoticed. The popular judo team of Kosovo is state of the art top sports in the small country. The Kosovo Olympic Committee (KOC) has announced it will double support given to 20 athletes on its scholarship beneficiaries' list for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The judo team is led by Driton Kuka.

Recently Distria Krasniqi once more showcased her candidacy for an Olympic gold medal, winning the IJF Judo Masters in Doha. Majlinda as the reigning Olympic Champion is the foundation of the new funding and Nora Gjakova and Lorian constantly show to be medal candidate in Tokyo as well.

The KOC said the support will enable athletes to benefit from training camps abroad in the build-up to the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Athletes will have their expenses covered by the KOC for a specified number of days, depending on their category. Those in category 'A' - judoka Majlinda Kelmendi, Distria Krasniqi, Nora Gjakova, Loriana Kuka and Akil Gjakova - can have their expenses covered for up to 80 days.

Rio 2016 Olympic champion Kelmendi, Krasniqi and Gjakova were the only athletes to have used the full allocation last year.

The KOC said the athletes eligible for the support come from judo, boxing, wrestling, karate, athletics, swimming, shooting and archery.

The funding will apply during the first six months of 2021 in preparation for the Games, which are scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 21.

The support also applies to camps organised in Kosovo and the region for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The KOC has also decided to cover the expenses of elite athletes for one of the competitions which offers qualification points for the Olympic Games.

The KOC expects to be represented by a 12-member team at Tokyo 2020 of which judo has the majority of the athletes.