Olympic Committee of Kosovo


The Olympic Committee of Kosovo is the National Olympic Committee representing Kosovo. Officially established in 1992, the OCK became a full member of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Movement on 9 December 2014. It is responsible for Kosovo's participation at the Olympic Games.
Kosovo participated at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan and participated at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Judoka Majlinda Kelmendi became the first Kosovar athlete to win a medal of any colour when she won gold in the women's 52kg weight division at the Games. The Committee was represented for the first time at the Winter Olympics at PyeongChang 2018 by skier Albin Tahiri.
A Paralympic federation is planned.

History

The Olympic Committee of Kosovo was officially established in 1992. The United Nations-led administration in Kosovo previously established a working group to engage with the IOC to allow athletes to participate in the Olympic Games. Due to its status, Kosovan athletes were not allowed to compete under the flag of Kosovo, until the recognition in 2014. Therefore, during the 2012 Summer Olympics, Kosovan judoka and world champion, Majlinda Kelmendi had to compete for Albania instead. Kosovan athletes of Serbian ethnicity participated as part of Serbia and Montenegro and Serbia.
In April 2013, the Brussels Agreement was concluded between the Serbian and Kosovan governments. In October 2014 the International Olympic Committee provisionally recognised the Olympic Committee of Kosovo and gave it full membership 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 out of UN member states. Kosovo will participate for the first time in the Rio de Janeiro games of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Kosovo won their first olympic golden medal in their first participation in any olympics games, in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The medal has been won in judo by Mailinda Kelmendi in the category of -52kg.
Prior to the IOC recognition, Kosovo athletes took part in the Special Olympics from 2003. A body known as the Special Olympics Kosovo was established to provide support for these athletes.
Athletes from Kosovo participated at the 4th World Sports Games for Little People in Rambouillet, France in 2005., in the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, in the 2015 IHF Emerging Nations Championship, etc.