Kosovo, Albania unite through basketball
The first sports conference was held together with the Albanian Basketball Federation, the Kosovo Basketball Federation and the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, where the role and opportunities for expanding deeper cooperation between Kosovo and Albania in the field of sports were discussed.
The Unique Basketball League is the first step taken between these two countries, and this competition is being seen as a good door for cooperation in other sports, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.
The President of the Albanian Basketball Federation, Avni Ponari, emphasized that in the beginning they had encountered difficulties in organizing the Unique League, but this then turned into a very important event, entering the FIBA calendar.
"Although we had opposition, although we had all kinds of things not to do it, we managed to organize it and the special thing is to certify it in FIBA Europe. The participation of the president of FIBA Europe in the ceremony of this league was a very important event for both countries... The differences between basketball in Kosovo and Albania are very large, especially in terms of values, because I take this opportunity to congratulate the Government of Kosovo for approving the law four or five years ago, a law that is very important," said Ponari.
The cooperation between Pristina and Tirana, according to the Mayor of Pristina, Përparim Rama, is very close, but it can grow even more in the field of sports and beyond.
"The cooperation between Pristina and Tirana as capitals has always been close, we have various collaborations in the field of sports and in many other fields, but it can always be even deeper and more focused, such as in the aspect of basketball. We, as the capital, have taken a large number of initiatives to promote sports... We have also been in discussion with clubs, not only basketball, but with the association of clubs in Pristina with the mayor Blerand Stavileci, where we have discussed various opportunities because when a large number of teams are created and come together in terms of marketing, there is a much greater attraction for businesses to connect and help these sports clubs," Rama declared.
While the head of the Kosovo Basketball Federation, Arben Fetahu, highlighted the great need that federations have to organize such events.
"This work cannot be done with our capacities alone, we need the support of public money, cities, MCYS, and all sponsors. We are lucky on this side of the border to have the Sponsorship Law and our clubs are a little more consolidated, but this is only on the men's side," said Fetahu:
Legal and financial support for sports federations was guaranteed by the president of the Kosovo Olympic Committee, Ismet Krasniqi.
"In this way we promote our values, Albanian values and promote sport as a whole. The Kosovo Olympic Committee, its role is to support all federations, in particular in this case the Basketball Federation, a sport that is very dear to the citizens of Kosovo, a very attractive and very good sport that we all know and I believe that it is on the best possible path and is progressing more and more every day. We know how much a team federation needs finances... Most businesses have understood it is important because they not only give but also benefit from the profit tax, they have already understood it and I believe that all federations in some way have certain businesses and benefits from them", said Krasniqi.
Otherwise, the Final 26 of the Unique Basketball League will take place in Pristina on March 27 and 4.
