Kosovo boxers stop: Vuciq reacts to German ambassador

Vuciq has said boxers from Kosovo have not been warned of participation in the Belgrade-based International Boxing Championship.

“It is good that the German ambassador to Pristina has not reacted when attending our athletes and our clubs, which only wanted to play soccer. As I learned, they have not reported participation, but they have only performed on the border, so, frankly, I cannot handle anything”, Vucic said at his party headquarters, the Serbian Progressive Party.

Germany's ambassador to Kosovo, Jörn Rohde, has said Tuesday that politicising sports is never a good idea.

Commenting on the Serbian authorities' recent decision to enable Kosovo's team to participate in the Belgrade-based International Boxing Championship, Rohde has cited the European Union's response, saying that long-term normalisation of reports and lasting reconciliation among societies begins with intellectual, cultural, sports and artistic exchanges.

He has made that reaction by referring to the same statement that European Union spokesman Peter Stano has issued for Radio Free Europe.

“Forbiding boxers from participating in the International Boxing Championships goes in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, this is an example of the closed and unopened Balkans”, Rohdes said, in a post on the social network, Twitter.

The championship has started in Belgrade on 24 October and will last until 6 November.

Authorities in Kosovo have said they do not prevent athletes representing Serbia, but tend to stop parallel sports events held in the Republic of Kosovo by Serbian clubs.

“Those clubs are members of Serbian federations, any sport and host Serbia's evil matches on Kosovo territory. This is what is not allowed at us”, Free Europe, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports in Kosovo Dauline Osmani has told Radio.

Osmani has said Kosovo is interfering with the illegal sport and that the Ministry of Culture is not against Serbian community clubs.

There are two laws that are violated, it is the Law for Sport, and second, according to the Kosovo Police reports we've received, for any activity under way, police should be notified 72 hours earlier. These organizations, these clubs, they never warn their activities in police”, she added.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said on Monday that Serbia's decision not to allow Kosovo athletes to participate in the World Boxing Championship presents “violations of international sports norms”.

Serbia should show its strength in the ring of boxing, not at the limit of”, Kurti said on Twitter.

Serbia's Federation of Boxing Chairman Nenad Borovcanin has told Serbian television Pink on October 25th that Kosovo has not submitted to participate in the Belgrade-based World Boxing Championship.

Kosovo is not on the list of 103 states, the so-called state of Kosovo. There are 103 participating countries, while Kosovo is not there like their boxers”, Borovcanin has said.

As far as Kosovo's ban on the entry of athletes on Serbia's territory is concerned, Borovcanin has said it's a “ban “. According to him, this is an attempt for “policyisation of sports, fraud and manipulation”.

I'm sorry they make such provocations and are thus politicizing and misusing the sport. ...sporters. The sport is clean and must remain so. For what reason (are not allowed to participate) we will soon be informed and formally announce”, he said.

On October 26th, Kosovo Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Hajrullah Ceku has warned that, during this week, Kosovo will decide to halt the development of <x0 sports operations parallel to Serbian”.

According to him, many parallel structures of Serbian federations operate in Kosovo, contrary to Kosovo laws.

Kosovo has had to be represented this year in champions by three boxers: Bashkim Bajoku, Rescue Bajok and Patriot Behram. / REL