IOC code KOS 0 0 | 1 0 | |
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NOC Olympic Committee of Kosovo Website www.noc-kosovo.org (Albanian) (Serbian) Medals Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
1
0
0
1 | ||
Kosovo has made its Olympic debut as a member state in 2016. Its team is organized by the Olympic Committee of Kosovo (OCK), created in 1992 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee on 9 December 2014. It won its first medal on its debut appearance in 2016, when judoka Majlinda Kelmendi took gold in the women's -52 kg category.
History
From 1920 to the 1992 Winter Olympics, Kosovar athletes participated as part of the Yugoslavian team. In 1960 Summer Olympics three football players born in Kosovo (Milutin Šoškić, Fahrudin Jusufi, Vladimir Durković) won gold medal as part of Yugoslavia national football team. In the 1984 Summer Olympics, boxer Aziz Salihu became the first individual athlete from Kosovo winning an Olympic medal, a bronze in Super heavyweight.
After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the Olympic Committee of Kosovo was established 1992. However, only Kosovar athletes with Serbian ethnicity participated as part of Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia Olympic team. On 17 February 2008 Kosovo's Parliament declared independence from Serbia. World junior champion in judo Majlinda Kelmendi qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics and she wanted to compete under Kosovo flag, but OCK was not recognized by International Olympic Committee at the time. Also, IOC turned down Kelmendi's request to compete as an independent athlete. Olympic Committee of Serbia invited all athletes from Kosovo to join Serbian team. Kelmendi chose to represent Albania, while Kosovo Serbs athletes participated under the flag of Serbia.
In April 2013, the Brussels Agreement was concluded between the Serbian and Kosovan governments. Kosovo was recognised as a provisional member of the IOC on 22 October 2014, before becoming a full member on 9 December 2014. At that time, Kosovo was not a member or observer state of the United Nations, but it has gained diplomatic recognition as a sovereign state by 108 out of 193 UN member states. It has been announced that Kelmendi, who had gone on to become World and European judo champion in 2013 and 2014, will carry Kosovo's flag during the Parade of Nations within the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.
Serbia protested Kosovo's admission to the IOC, as it officially claims that Kosovo is an autonomous province of Serbia. However, Serbia, considering the harmful effects of Yugoslavia's expulsion in 1992, decided against boycotting the 2016 Rio Olympics as a consequence. Some athletes from Kosovo, ethnic Serbs such as volleyball player Milena Rašić and basketball player Marko Simonović, continued to play for the Serbian national team.