NEW DELHI: The Union government’s decision to deny a visa to a boxer from Kosovo for the ongoing AIBA Women’s World Championships, which is being hosted here, has elicited a strong response from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The IOC has issued directives to all international federations to reject bids from India for any world event involving Kosovo unless the respective IFs get a written undertaking from the Indian authorities guaranteeing equal participation.
The recent development follows high-profile controversies involving Kosovo, who faced stumbling blocks at both the World Karate Championships earlier this month and the ongoing Women’s Boxing World Championships.
Kosovo was unable to participate at the boxing event after their sole representative – Donjeta Sadiku – was refused visa by the Indian government, which doesn’t recognise the country, PTI reports.
“The IOC strongly recommends that before allocating any international sports events to a country, all international sports organisations concerned make sure that all the necessary written guarantees are obtained from the local authorities/organiser to ensure equal treatment for the participating athletes and sporting delegations, in accordance with the basic principles of autonomy and non-discrimination which govern the Olympic Movement,” the letter from IOC further reads.
“Should this not be possible, or should there be any doubt, said country would exclude itself from the right to host international sporting events, and the international sports organisation concerned should not allocate any international sports event to this country until the issue is resolved and all the necessary guarantees are provided and implemented.”
At the World Karate Championships in Madrid earlier this year, Kosovo were prevented from competing under their own flag as Spain to doesn’t recognise the country, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
However, the Spanish government subsequently gave an undertaking that it would to allow athletes from Kosovo to compete “without discrimination”.
The recent development has cast a shadow over India hosting the 2021 Men’s Boxing World Championships and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra has requested Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh to address the matter at the earliest.
“Requesting you (Singh) as chair of the IOA coordination committee to fix a meeting with the government on an urgent basis to sort out the above issue,” Batra stated in his communication to the BFI president.
Batra’s letter to Singh came in the wake of a strongly-worded letter issued by the IOC addressed to the president and secretary-general of ALL IFs. The letter, issued in the name of IOC deputy director general Pere Miro, reads: “The IOC has been working together with the international federations, and the umbrella organisations concerned, for many years to protect the fundamental principles which govern the Olympic Movement and make sure that, when a national sports organisation/country decides to bid for an international sports event, it equally abides by the rules of the Olympic Movement.
“The national sports federation must guarantee that all athletes and sporting delegations eligible to come and participate, without any undue discrimination or political interference from the host country.
“Unfortunately, there are also a few examples which could not be resolved successfully and in which sporting delegations were prevented by the host country from participating in an international sporting event organised by an international federation.
“The latest incident occurred in India, where the sporting delegation and athletes from Kosovo were not allowed to come and participate in a world boxing championship (this year and last year).
“This shows clearly that, until this matter is seriously addressed and resolved by the competent Indian authorities, India is not in a position to host international sporting events in which a sporting delegation from Kosovo is due to take part.”
