Kosovo Wants to Play – A Campaign to Break Country’s Isolation In Sports

By: Valon Xoxa    September 17, 2014

Have you ever been left out of a game? If so, chances are that you did not feel very good about it. Today, Kosovo might be one of the few countries that is not allowed to compete on a world arena. This means that no matter how good you are, how hard you try, you are still not allowed to test your skills professionally on a world stage. Kosovowantstoplay is a Crowdfunding campaign initiated by Kosovotwopoitzero Magazine with the intent of changing this.

So whats the problem you may ask? A number of international sporting federations are still hesitant of recognizing Kosovo as an official country, thus making it almost impossible for sportsmen to compete internationally. This is why we get to watch Majlinda Kelmendi  compete under the International Judo Federation flag. Furthermore, the campaign aims at adressing some issues closer to home, such as the lack of investment in infrastructure, an issue that only adds to the pile of problems each aspiring athlete in Kosovo faces on a daily.

The campaign aims at creating a global brand through which awareness is raised on the question of why can’t these talented athletes compete abroad?  If you would like to know more on the campaign and learn how you could help, please go here.

The initiative has brought global support, ranging from Kosovars living abroad to international athletes.

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Facebook/Kosovo2.0/Kosovowantstoplay

There has been extensive cover from local media, including the Ora 7 news at Klan Kosova Station.

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This basketball player from Argentina wants Kosovo to play! Do you? Tell the world. #kosovowantstoplay

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Balon Mundial SUPPORTS FROM ITALY #kosovowantstoplay

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Liburn Jupolli is supporting #kosovowantstoplay

Valon Xoxa

Valon Xoxa is a staff member of Kosovodiaspora.org. He holds a bachelor degree from Westminster College (MO) in Cultural Anthropology and Sociology. Currently resides in Prishtina, and is a freelance contributor and editor at KosovoDiaspora.org. With an interest in contemporary culture, he seeks to find and incorporate articles from the Kosovar Diaspora that would shed light upon the interesting characteristics of this important global community. He has published a research article through UNDP’s School on Human Development titled “Mobility and Public Participation: A Case Study of the Kosovar Diaspora”, where a rather interesting Andersonian perspective is taken at understanding the Internet as a national identity creation medium.

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