BERLIN, 25 Oct. (dpa / EP) –
The Kosovo government has threatened to retaliate in sports and has requested sanctions for the organizers of the World Boxing World Cup that is being held in Serbia after the organizers refused the assistance of the fighters from this country.
Kosovo is a former part of Serbia that unilaterally declared its independence in 2008 and is recognized by around 100 nations, but not by Serbia, which still considers it part of their country. It also has the recognition of organizations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that charged against the International Boxing Federation (AIBA) for giving the Balkan country the organization of these championships.
However, Kosovo is demanding a strong hand for what it considers “a gross and flagrant violation of basic international principles in sport,” its Sports Minister Hajrulla Ceku said on ‘Twitter’ on Monday.
“The Kosovo government calls on AIBA and the IOC to penalize the organizers of the event in Serbia and urgently calls on the EU to condemn Serbia for this great transgression against our athletes and sports everywhere,” he added.
For its part, AIBA indicated last Saturday that it was in talks with the organizers of the event and that it hoped that the Kosovar delegation would not be “treated differently from the delegation of any other member” of the body.