Kosovo Athletes Possible for Rio

New Zealand athletes could be competing against athletes representing Kosovo for the first time at the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today granted provisional recognition to the Kosovo Olympic Committee and proposed that the NOC be granted full recognition at the next IOC Session to be held in December in Monaco.

 New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO Kereyn Smith said if Kosovo were to be reconised as an official National Olympic Committee the nations athletes would be able to move forward with qualification and selection for the upcoming Olympic Games. "If the decisions is ratified, it is likely our own athletes will compete against those from Kosovo in sports like Boxing, Judo and Athletics. The Olympic Games bring people and cultures together in a spirit of friendship and respect."

New Zealand IOC Members Barry Maister and Barbara Kendall will be among those at the Session voting on the proposal.

The NOC of Kosovo was established in 1992 and has more than 30 affiliated National Federations (NFs), 13 of which are Olympic sports federations. Of these, six* are full members of their respective International Federations (IFs), while the other seven** are provisional or associate members of their respective IFs.

The EB noted that the NOC of Kosovo has met the requirements for recognition as outlined in the Olympic Charter. These include the sport and technical requirements as well as the definition of country as defined in Rule 30.1 an independent State recognised by the international community. While Kosovo itself is not yet recognised by the UN, it is recognised as a country by 108 of the 193 UN Member States.

The decision was taken by the Executive Board in the interests of the athletes in Kosovo and to remove any uncertainty they may have. It will allow them to take part in qualifications for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and in future editions of the Games.