THE NEWS NO ONE IN SERBIA DARES TO PUBLISH: Kosovo will host the Mediterranean Games in 2030!

Kosovo will host the Mediterranean Games in 2030, with Pristina as the main host, as well as other cities in Kosovo and Metohija where competitions in various disciplines will be held, while competitions in certain disciplines will take place in Durrës.

Albania was the official co-organizer of this bid. Since Kosovo is landlocked, sailing and some water sports competitions will be held in the Albanian port city of Durrës. Representatives of Albania provided strong and open support for the project.

A total of 26 member countries of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (ICMG) from three continents took part in the vote. Of those 26 states, 10 officially do not recognize Kosovo’s independence (including Serbia, Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria).

Representatives of Serbia, according to media reports, attempted to block the bid and the amendment to the statute that allowed landlocked countries to organize the Games, but they were unsuccessful.

Given that Kosovo won as many as 55 of the 66 votes cast by delegates (each country may have more than one voting delegate depending on the committee’s rules and the presence of IOC members), it is clear that a significant number of delegates from countries that do not otherwise politically recognize Kosovo voted for Pristina, as did the vast majority of Mediterranean countries that recognize it (such as Italy, France, Croatia, Slovenia and Turkey).