Kosovo at the 2020 Summer Olympics explained

Noc:KOS
Nocname:Olympic Committee of Kosovo
Games:Summer Olympics
Year:2020
Website: 
Location:Tokyo, Japan
Competitors:11
Sports:6
Flagbearer Close:Egzon Shala
Rank:42
Gold:2
Silver:0
Bronze:0
Appearances:auto
See also: (1920–1992W)
(1992S)
(1996–2006)
(2008–2012)

Kosovo (KOS) competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, represented by the Olympic Committee of Kosovo (KOK/OKK). The nation had previously participated in the Summer Olympic Games on one occasion in 2016. A total of 11 athletes, five men and six women, were selected by the national committee to compete in six sports. Initially scheduled to take place during the summer of 2020, the games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021 in relation to the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).[1]

Kosovo won two gold medals, a further improvement on its 2016 performance where the country won one gold medal. Kosovo remains the only country to win more than two medals, all of which are gold. The gold medals were won by two female Judokas.[2]

Distria Krasniqi who won Gold in the Women's 48 kg event[3] and by Nora Gjakova who won Gold in the Women's 57 kg event.[4] Majlinda Kelmendi, the gold medalist from the 2016 Summer Olympics, represented Kosovo for the second time in the Women's 52 kg category.[5] [6]

Background

See main article: Kosovo at the Olympics. Following the 127th IOC Session in 2014, Kosovo was announced as an official member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and coincidentally obtained the right to participate as an independent nation in international sports events.[7] Therefore, Kosovo made its Olympic debut as a member state at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[7] Marking the nation's second Summer Olympic participation, the 2020 Summer Olympics were originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020 but were postponed to 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

Competitors

The following table lists the number of competitors for Kosovo in the 2020 Summer Olympics. The nation's team for the 2020 games was composed of five male and six female competitors, including athlete Musa Hajdari, boxer Donjeta Sadiku, judoka Akil Gjakova, Distria Krasniqi, Majlinda Kelmendi, Nora Gjakova and Loriana Kuka, shooter Drilon Ibrahimi, swimmers Eda Zeqiri and Olt Kondirolli as well as wrestler Egzon Shala.

width=180 Sportwidth=55 Menwidth=55 Womenwidth=55 Total
1 0 1
0 1 1
1 4 5
1 0 1
1 1 2
1 0 1
Total 5 6 11

Athletics

See main article: Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification. Kosovo received a universality slot from the IAAF to send a male track and field athlete to the Olympics.[9]

Track & road events

Boxing

See main article: Boxing at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Boxing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification. Kosovo entered one female boxer into the Olympic tournament after receiving the tripartite invitation quotas.

Judo

See main article: Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Judo at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification. Kosovo entered five judoka (one men and four women) into the Olympic tournament based on the International Judo Federation Olympics Individual Ranking.[10]

AthleteEventRound of 64Round of 32Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsRepechageFinal /
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Akil GjakovaMen's −73 kg
W 10–00

W 11–00

W 10–00

L 00–10
Did not advance
L 00–10
Did not advance7
Distria KrasniqiWomen's –48 kg
W 10–00

W 10–00

W 10–00

W 10–00
Majlinda KelmendiWomen's –52 kg
L 00–10
Did not advance
Nora GjakovaWomen's –57 kg
W 01–00

W 11–00

W 10–00

W 10–00
Loriana KukaWomen's –78 kg
L 00–10
Did not advance

Shooting

See main article: Shooting at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Shooting at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification. Kosovo received an invitation from the Tripartite Commission to send a men's rifle shooter to the Olympics, as long as the minimum qualifying score (MQS) was met.[11]

Swimming

See main article: article, Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Swimming at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification. Kosovo received a universality invitation from FINA to send two top-ranked swimmers (one per gender) in their respective individual events to the Olympics, based on the FINA Points System of June 28, 2021.

AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Olt KondirolliMen's 100 m freestyle54.3364Did not advance
Eda ZeqiriWomen's 400 m freestyle4:38.0224Did not advance

Wrestling

See main article: Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics and Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Qualification. Kosovo qualified one wrestler for the men's freestyle 125 kg, by acknowledging a license from the United World Wrestling, following the disqualification of two wrestlers for anti-doping rules violations.[12] Moreover, these Games marked the country's debut in the sport.

Freestyle

Notes and References

  1. News: . Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee . 29 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200324125854/https://www.olympic.org/news/joint-statement-from-the-international-olympic-committee-and-the-tokyo-2020-organising-committee . 24 March 2020 . 24 March 2020 . live.
  2. Web site: Tokyo 2020: Two gold medals for Kosovo . 27 July 2021 .
  3. Web site: HISTORIKE, Distria Krasniqi e fiton medaljen e artë në Lojërat Olimpike . 24 July 2021 .
  4. Web site: Nora Gjakova fiton medaljen e artë .
  5. Web site: First ever Olympics medal for Kosovo .
  6. Web site: Majlinda Kelmendi do medalje ari në "Tokio 2020".
  7. Web site: . 127th IOC Session comes to close in Monaco . 17 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210617154537/https://olympics.com/ioc/news/127th-ioc-session-comes-to-close-in-monaco . 17 June 2021 . 9 December 2014 . live.
  8. News: . Joint Statement from the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee . 28 March 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200324125854/https://www.olympic.org/news/joint-statement-from-the-international-olympic-committee-and-the-tokyo-2020-organising-committee . 24 March 2020 . 24 March 2020 . live.
  9. Web site: Road to Olympic Games 2020 . World Athletics . 11 June 2021.
  10. https://www.ijf.org/wrl_olympic International Judo Federation Olympics Ranking
  11. Web site: Quota Places by Nation and Number. 31 May 2021. www.issf-sports.org/. ISSF. 31 May 2021. 28 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210628174326/https://www.issf-sports.org/competitions/ogqualification/quota_places/quota_places_by_nation_and_name.ashx. dead.
  12. News: Trio of Olympic Licenses Reassigned After Anti-Doping Rules Violations. 19 February 2020. 19 February 2020. United World Wrestling.