From this Sunday the World Cup in boxing will take place in Belgrade. But a team is not in the country yet. And despite the short journey: The boxers from Kosovo are missing.
The team is refused entry at the border between Kosovo and Serbia. This now calls the organizing world association AIBA on the scene. The AIBA and the Kosovar boxing federation are now turning to the Belgrade World Cup organizers and the Serbian boxing federation, they should solve the vortex at the border.
AIBA General Secretary Istvan Kovacs writes in a letter: «The Kosovar boxing association has been a full AIBA member since November 2014 and is expected to take part in the World Cup. It is unacceptable that the delegation was stopped at the border. “
The background: Serbia still does not accept the independence of the former Republic of Kosovo.
Uke Smajli, ex-Swiss amateur boxing champion, describes how this affects the boxers at the border: “I know the team and have spoken to them. At the border it was apparently said that entry was not possible with the words ‘Kosovo’ on the clothes. ” (red)