Prishtina, 30 September 2022
After the approval of “Kosovo, the State of Judo” sports programme in the Government meeting, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, attended the launching ceremony of the programme, at the Lapidarium of the Kosovo National Museum.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Kurti expressed gratitude to the judo athletes for their successes not only in Kosovo, but globally as well, claiming that “The results of judo have been the highlight of national sports for the past 15 years; results that every one of us identifies with individually and collectively as a society, and above all, as a state.”
Further, Prime Minister Kurti said that sport has proven to be one of the key mechanisms in the process of building our national image and promoting Kosovo globally. Sports in general, and judo in particular, have done an extraordinary job in creating a feeling of belonging in our society, and creating a positive perception of our Republic among the foreign public.
Pledging the support of the Government, Prime Minister Kurti said that “Kosovo, the State of Judo” is the concrete step we have undertaken as a government to ensure not only the continuous impact of judo in our international promotion, but most importantly, the maximum development of the sports within the Republic of Kosovo. We want to make sure that what judo has brought to Kosovo over the years: hope, pride, and success – will be present among us permanently, and in the international arena for a long time.”
The complete speech of Prime Minister Kurti at the ceremony:
Dear Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Mr. Hajrulla Çeku,
Dear Minister of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mrs. Arbërie Nagavci,
Dear Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Mrs. Daulina Osmani,
Dear President of the Assembly Commission, Ardian Gola,
Dear members of the government cabinet and different institutional representatives of our country,
Dear Olympic champions: Majlinda, Nora and Distria,
Dear President of the Kosovo Olympic Committee, Mr. Ismet Krasniqi,
Dear Driton and other champion judo athletes who are here with us today,
Dear Agron, President of the Kosovo Judo Federation,
Dear ambassadors of Japan and Italy, sports community and sports lovers,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear attendees,
Greetings to all of you,
We are gathered here today to present to you what we voted today at the 99th meeting of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, a meeting I came from hurriedly, and that is the sports programme titled “Kosovo, the State of Judo”. The results of judo have been the highlight of national sports for the past 15 years; results that every one of us identifies with individually and collectively as a society, and above all, as a state.
Ever since the 90s, followed by the period after the declaration of the Independence of Kosovo, and robustly until recent days, sport has proven to be one of the key mechanisms in the process of building our national image and promoting Kosovo at a global level. Sports in general, and judo in particular, have done an extraordinary job in creating a feeling of belonging in our society, and creating a positive perception of our Republic among the foreign public.
“Kosovo, the State of Judo” is the concrete step we have undertaken as a government to ensure not only the continuous impact of judo in our international promotion, but most importantly, the maximum development of the sports within the Republic of Kosovo. We want to make sure that what judo has brought to Kosovo over the years: hope, pride, and success – will be present among us permanently, and in the international arena for a long time.
I am privileged and very happy that we are sharing the content of this programme today, which is aimed at empowering sports as a means of building and maintaining our social and economic welfare, as the main channel of promoting Kosovo at the global level. For the first time in Kosovo, sport is receiving the attention and treatment it deserves.
“Kosovo, the State of Judo” programme is a programme initiated and designed by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in coordination with six other relevant institutions and, of course, in close cooperation with the Kosovo Judo Federation.
The programme consists of five pillars of action addressing the basic components that are essential to the development of sports, provides for the interaction of many stakeholders to ensure its quality implementation, the annual budget planning for the sustainability of the programme, and the interrelation of all the above to ensure that quantity, quality and promotion grow concurrently without leaving any of them behind.
Improving the physical infrastructure for the development of judo activities and other martial arts, extending the results of Peja in judo to all municipalities across Kosovo, by increasing the capacities of judo coaches, providing opportunities and access to all our children and young people to be active in judo, the necessary support of athletes and judo coaches during and after their sports career, as well as promotion through the organization of major sports events in the Republic of Kosovo, these are the main pillars of “Kosovo, the State of Judo” programme.”
Thus, in addition to ensuring the development of physical and social well-being through the institutional association of education with sport, of sport with health, protection and safety, at the same time we are also making sure that judo will continue to remain the key word for the success of local sport and our powerful weapon of international promotion.
What is left for us to do is the maximum mobilization of all public institutions and sports organizations for the implementation of the very ambitious programme “Kosovo, the State of Judo”. Let the iron will and unrelenting work of the judo team towards the culminating results be a motivation and a role model of our joint work for the future.
Kosovo is a state, and judo is a sport. Judo, State, Kosovo: three words that all of us hold dear to our hearts, that we identify with and represent us best. Therefore, I hope that this programme will be permanent and eternal, just like the successes of our athletes so far.
I would like to thank all the institutions engaged in designing and implementing the programme, and a special greeting to the judo community in Kosovo.
We continue to strive, with as many commitments as possible, to pay a small portion of the great debt that we owe you as a country.
May this new chapter of the development of Judo in Kosovo be our shared journey towards your future results!
Thank you!
Last modified: October 4, 2022