The European Cadet Karate Championships take place on February 3-5 in Larnaca, Cyprus. Only players up to 21 years of age are allowed to participate in the competition. Even before the event, there was a major international conflict. The government of Cyprus, which belongs to the European Union, has banned the display of the Kosovo flag and the singing of the national anthem to its representatives.
The authorities of the Cypriot government forbade displaying the flag of Kosovo. “They didn’t let us in”
About 30 Kosovar karatekas came to Larnaca to compete in the youth European Championships. However, they will not start. As reported by journalist Sam Street, Kosovo withdrew from participation in the European championships after the Cypriot government banned the display of their flag.
The authorities of the Kosovo Karate Federation repeatedly appealed against the decision of the Cypriots, but their efforts were ineffective. The president of the federation, Avni Gashi, has already spoken on this matter. – We have been accepted by the European Karate Federation. So far we have competed with others, but in Cyprus they did not let us in. They told us that the competitors can only act as representatives of the Karate Federation and that instead of a flag, the words “Kosovar Karate Federation” will be displayed. They also told us that there would be no singing of the national anthem if our player won gold.
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The Kosovo authorities could not afford such an insult. – The Executive Committee met in Larnaca. We were told that they could not change the decision of the Cypriot government and that we could only compete on their terms. We didn’t accept it. We unanimously decided not to perform there.
These are not the first political problems faced by Kosovo athletes. A similar situation happened a few years ago
In 2021, Redona Gashi had a similar problem to the cadet team. Kosowianka could not take part in the competition in Cyprus. Originally, the competitor received a visa to enter the country, but she was not allowed to enter Greece, through which the journey led. We had a lot of problems getting visas. Even though we were finally granted them, we still couldn’t reach our destination. This is outright discrimination. A policy that doesn’t interest us doesn’t allow us to compete normally,” Gashi told DW.
Kosovo is still recognized by only 50 percent of the members of the United Nations. Even though, e.g. The US and many European countries accept the representatives of Kosovo, these are still countries that are hostile towards them. Many international organizations allow Kosovo athletes to compete under their own flag, but the problem arises when the competition is organized by a country that does not recognize Kosovo. Currently, this list includes China, Russia or Serbia.
Source: Sport.PL
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
