| Kosovo at the 2020 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | KOS |
| NOC | Olympic Committee of Kosovo |
| Website | noc-kosovo.org (in Albanian and Serbian) |
| inTokyo, Japan 23 July 2021 (2021-07-23) – 8 August 2021 (2021-08-08) | |
| Competitors | 11 in 6 sports |
| Flag bearers (opening) | Majlinda Kelmendi Akil Gjakova |
| Flag bearer (closing) | Egzon Shala |
| Medals Ranked 42nd |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Yugoslavia (1920–1992W) Independent Olympic Participants (1992S) Serbia and Montenegro (1996–2006) Serbia (2008–2012) | |
Kosovo (KOS) competed at the2020 Summer Olympics inTokyo, Japan, represented by theOlympic Committee of Kosovo (KOK/OKK). The nation had previously participated in theSummer Olympic Games on one occasion in2016. 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 thepandemic of thecoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).[1]
Kosovo won two gold medals, a further improvement on its2016 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 theWomen's 48 kg event[3] and byNora Gjakova who won Gold in theWomen's 57 kg event.[4]Majlinda Kelmendi, the gold medalist from the2016 Summer Olympics, represented Kosovo for the second time in theWomen's 52 kg category.[5][6]
Following the127th IOC Session in 2014, Kosovo was announced as an official member of theInternational 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 the2016 Summer Olympics inRio de Janeiro, Brazil.[7] Marking the nation's second Summer Olympic participation, the2020 Summer Olympics were originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020 but were postponed to 2021 as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[8]
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 athleteMusa Hajdari, boxerDonjeta Sadiku, judokaAkil Gjakova,Distria Krasniqi,Majlinda Kelmendi,Nora Gjakova andLoriana Kuka, shooter Drilon Ibrahimi, swimmersEda Zeqiri and Olt Kondirolli as well as wrestlerEgzon Shala.
| Sport | Men | Women | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Boxing | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Judo | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Shooting | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Swimming | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Wrestling | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| Medal | Name | Sport | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold | Distria Krasniqi | Judo | Women's 48 kg | 24 July |
| Gold | Nora Gjakova | Judo | Women's 57 kg | 26 July |
Kosovo received auniversality slot from the IAAF to send a male track and field athlete to the Olympics.[9]
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Musa Hajdari | Men's 800 m | 1:48.96 | 8 | Did not advance | |||
Kosovo entered one female boxer into the Olympic tournament after receiving the tripartite invitation quotas.
| Athlete | Event | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank | ||
| Donjeta Sadiku | Women's lightweight |  Dubois (GBR)L 0–5 | Did not advance | ||||
Kosovo entered five judoka (one men and four women) into the Olympic tournament based on theInternational Judo Federation Olympics Individual Ranking.[10]
| Athlete | Event | Round of 64 | Round of 32 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Repechage | Final /BM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank | |||
| Akil Gjakova | Men's −73 kg |  Ayash (YEM)W 10–00 |  Stump (SUI)W 11–00 |  Macias (SWE)W 10–00 |  Tsend-Ochir (MGL)L 00–10 | Did not advance |  Orujov (AZE)L 00–10 | Did not advance | 7 | |
| Distria Krasniqi | Women's –48 kg | N/a | Bye |  Chibana (BRA)W 10–00 |  Lin C-h (TPE)W 10–00 | Mönkhbat (MGL) W 10–00 | Bye |  Tonaki (JPN)W 10–00 | | |
| Majlinda Kelmendi | Women's –52 kg | N/a |  Pupp (HUN)L 00–10 | Did not advance | ||||||
| Nora Gjakova | Women's –57 kg | N/a | Bye |  Verhagen (NED)W 01–00 |  Kajzer (SLO)W 11–00 | Yoshida (JPN) W 10–00 | Bye |  Cysique (FRA)W 10–00 | | |
| Loriana Kuka | Women's –78 kg | N/a | Bye |  Babintseva (ROC)L 00–10 | Did not advance | |||||
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]
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Rank | Points | Rank | ||
| Drilon Ibrahimi | Men's 10 m air rifle | 608.8 | 46 | Did not advance | |
Kosovo received auniversality invitation fromFINA 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.
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Semifinal | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Olt Kondirolli | Men's 100 m freestyle | 54.33 | 64 | Did not advance | |||
| Eda Zeqiri | Women's 400 m freestyle | 4:38.02 | 24 | N/a | Did not advance | ||
Kosovo qualified one wrestler for the men's freestyle 125 kg, by acknowledging a license from theUnited 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.
Key:
| Athlete | Event | Round of 16 | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Repechage | Final /BM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Opposition Result | Rank | ||
| Egzon Shala | Men's −125 kg |  Berrahal (ALG)W 5−0VT |  Zare (IRI)L 1–4SP | Did not advance | 7 | ||
