The “historic resolution” besides autonomy of the International Olympic Committee recognized the right of management of the Olympic Movement. The IOC to decide 8th and 9th December about full-fledged membership of the Olympic Committee of Kosovo.
The International Olympic Committee announced that at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly a “historic resolution” was adopted, whereby the autonomy of the International Olympic Committee and sports was recognized.
“We warmly welcome this resolution as a historic turning point in the relationship between sport and politics. Excellent relations between the UN and the IOC may in this sense serve as an example for cooperation between NOCs and national governments. This relationship with governments imply that sport must always be politically neutral,” said International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who along with Honorary President Jacques Rogge, IOC member and multiple Olympic champion Ole Einar Bjorndalen, American long distance runner Meb Keflezighi and General Secretary of the Olympic Committee of the US Scott Blackmun attended the session of the UN General Assembly.
With this resolution, the United Nations has provided support for the independence and autonomy of sport and the lead role of the IOC in the management of the Olympic movement.
With this resolution, in a way, was confirmed that membership in the United Nations is not a requirement for admission to the Olympic family.
Conditions will remain in force from the Olympic Charter that the (new) National Olympic Committee shall manage competitions in their territory and that it is a member of at least five international sports federations in the Olympic sports.
Sports associations of Kosovo on 22 October, when the Olympic Committee of Kosovo received provisional membership from the OIC, were full-fledged members of the international federations in six sports (table tennis since 2003, lifting weights since 2008, since 2011 archery, judo and sailing since 2012, the modern pentathlon since 2013) and associate members in seven sports organizations for the summer Olympics.
Since the European Handball Federation received the Handball Association of Kosovo as a full member, its men’s team has already started qualification for the European Championships in Poland in 2016 and there is no doubt that after the extraordinary session of the IOC in Montecarlo (8 and 9 December), where they will become full member, 205th member of the Olympic family, Kosovo’s sport will be accepted in other international sports federations. So at the 80th Congress of the International Gymnastics Federation in Tashkent, the Gymnastics League of Kosovo received a temporary membership, as well as gymnastics federations of Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, the Cayman Islands, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia, and for the full recognition is competent the General Assembly to be held next year in Tokyo.
But the path to international recognition is not the same and is not equally easy in all sports.
Kayakers and canoeists from Kosovo cannot count on the participation in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016. Simon Toulson, Secretary General of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) announced that Kosovo’s membership can be discussed only at the Ordinary Congress 2016 to be held after the Olympic Games, because this year (3-9 November) there was no enough time to get everything ready.
When it comes to the admission of Kosovo in the International Swimming Federation (FINA) is a serious problem in Kosovo because there is only a 25-meter swimming pool, which was built by family Zeqiri for their daughter considering her as a great talent. She won in 2012 in ten events at the Championship of Kosovo, and her record of 1:12.1 in the 100m backstroke would bring her to the last place in the London Olympics (the last place, was the 45th ranked Angelique Trinkie from Monaco with 1:10.79). In addition FINA has stringent requirements when it comes to swimming facilities…
Of course, speed of the receipt depends on fulfilling the requirements of international sports federations. Sports professionals in Kosovo with new vigour continue to fight for acceptance into the international federations began long before the unilateral declaration of independence.
The Balkans over International Cycling Federation (UCI)
International Cycling Federation (UCI) last time refused a request for admission of the Cycling Association of Kosovo in 2011 tying it with membership in the IOC, and immediately after the Executive Board of the IOC received Kosovo as a temporary member, the Kosovo cyclists immediately went into action.
– The Secretary General of their alliance, Nuhi, called me. He informed me that they want to become members of the Balkans Cycling Federation. I informed them that the road leading to the Balkans is through membership in the UCI, which will have a Congress in September – says Marko Procikevic, Secretary General of the Balkans Cycling Federation and the Commissioner of the UCI anti-doping control.
