Athletes victims of politics: Kosovo karatekas not allowed to enter Serbia to participate in the European Championship

NOVI SAD, (Patria) - The delegation of Kosovo karatekas was returned from the Merdare crossing for the second time on Wednesday evening on their way to Novi Sad where the European Championship is being held, RTK reported. 

Before that, they gathered in the center of Pristina in the afternoon, in front of the Youth Center, and from there they set off for Merdare in civilian clothes and without the insignia of the Karate Federation and Kosovo.

The karatekas were returned from the crossing on Wednesday morning, and the second attempt occurred after the Karate Federation of Kosovo filed a protest and received assurances from the International Olympic Committee that they would be able to participate in the championship on the condition that they did not use national insignia.

The International Karate Federation also reacted, stating that it will "do everything to guarantee participation for everyone at the championship in Novi Sad".

The president of the Kosovo Karate Federation, Ismet Krasnići, told N1 that the decision to compete without insignia was made after talks between the International Karate Federation and the Serbian and Kosovo federations. He also said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia requested that they travel without state insignia, explaining that this way no traveler would be endangered during their trip in Serbia. Krasnići stated that the reason for returning the karatekas was trivial.

- All the requests we received from the Karate Federation of Serbia and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been fulfilled - from the names of the present players, referees to the accompanying staff. Their request was to send the documents 48 hours in advance, and we sent them three days earlier than requested - said Krasnići.

He claims that the European Federation did not send them any letter stating that they would not be able to participate or that there would be additional conditions.

- There were never any conditions. We said that if the Kosovo flag bothers anyone, then we can remove all flags so that everyone is equal, just so we can attend, and not to make exceptions only for Kosovo, considering that we are a regular member of the European Karate Federation and the International Federation under all equal conditions - said Krasnići.

Both sides reacted to this decision. The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, assessed that this ban does not contribute to the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, while the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, assessed that the "self-proclaimed state of Kosovo" cannot participate in the karate championship in Novi Sad with state insignia in any way and that Pristina used the sports event for a political provocation.

That the matter is not one-sided and that it is about a new intensification of transferring politics to the field of sports is also indicated by the recent decision of the Football Federation of Kosovo to ban Red Star footballers from playing a friendly match with a local team on May 9, the proceeds of which would be a donation to the Gynecology Clinic in Gračanica.