Skip to content
Breaking News

Breaking News

  • Home
  • World
  • Business
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Life Style
  • Sports
  • Toggle search form

Kosovan Olympic Committee calls for disciplinary action against Novak Djokovic | CNN

Posted on April 13, 2025 By Admin No Comments on Kosovan Olympic Committee calls for disciplinary action against Novak Djokovic | CNN




CNN
 — 

The Kosovan Olympic Committee (KOC) has called for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) to take disciplinary action against Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic.

On Monday, Djokovic left a political message on a TV camera lens at the French Open in response to violent clashes in Kosovo, writing: “Kosovo is the [heart symbol] of Serbia. Stop the violence” in Serbian.

In a letter written by KOC President Ismet Krasniqi and addressed to the IOC, the KOC said Djokovic’s message “breached the fundamental principle of the IOC charter on the point of political neutrality and involved yet another political statement in sport.”

CNN has reached out to Djokovic’s representation for comment.

The KOC claimed Djokovic “yet again promoted the Serbian nationalists propaganda and used the sport platform to do so,” thereby raising “the level of tension and violence between the two countries, Kosovo and Serbia.”

Tensions have been rising in the past week in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. There were clashes with protestors on Monday after ethnically Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo, a majority Kosovo Serb area, following April elections that Kosovo Serbs had boycotted.

Djokovic elaborated on his message in Serbian at a press conference this week, saying: “This is the least I could have done. I feel the responsibility as a public figure – doesn’t matter in which field – to give support.

“Especially as a son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel the need to give my support to our people and to the entirety of Serbia. I don’t know, and I think many others don’t know, what the future brings for Kosovo and for Serbian people, but it’s necessary to show support and demonstrate unity in these kinds of situations.”

Djokovic’s reference to the “entirety of Serbia” reflects the policy of the Serbian government, which still considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory and has not recognized the country’s independence.

Krasniqi warned that, if no action was taken against Djokovic, it “sets a dangerous precedent that sport can be used as a platform for political messages.”

He added: “I respectfully urge that IOC reacts within its framework and requests to the ITF to follow the principles regulated by the Olympic Charter and investigate on this matter by opening a disciplinary proceedings against the athlete.”

In a statement sent to CNN, an ITF spokesperson said: “We have received and acknowledged a letter from the Kosovo Tennis Federation and have forwarded it to the relevant Grand Slam authority.

“Rules for player conduct at a Grand Slam event are governed by the Grand Slam rulebook, administered by the relevant organiser and regulator. There is no provision in this that prohibits political statements.”

The IOC told CNN that the French Open is run by the relevant grand slam authority and governed by their rules.

“Only during the Olympic Games the players are under the authority of the IOC,” it said.

Djokovic plays in the second round of the French Open against Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics on Wednesday.



Source link

Sports Tags:continents and regions, europe, iab-olympic sports, iab-sports, iab-tennis, international olympic committee, kosovo, novak djokovic, olympics, serbia, southern europe, sports and recreation, sports events, sports figures, sports organizations and teams, tennis

Post navigation

Previous Post: “Price of Admission”: The battle over concert tickets
Next Post: Top 10 health benefits of eating watermelon during summer | The Express Tribune

More Related Articles

Packers vs. Eagles (Sep 6, 2024) Live Score – ESPN Sports
Liverpool ratings: Van Dijk, Nunez impress and Diogo Jota returns to action in win at Burnley Sports
Boise State, due to face SJSU, pulls out of tourney Sports
Pep: Saudi money has changed transfer market Sports
WATCH: Young Travis Kelce tries to impress NFL scouts in resurfaced video Sports
Zimbabwe beat Pakistan by 2 wickets in third T20I – SUCH TV Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Pakistan to Bowl First Against Australia in ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup – SUCH TV
  • New Zealand’s Coastal Waters Heating Up Faster Than World Average – SUCH TV
  • Taylor Swift clarifies she didn’t talk about her engagement at Selena Gomez’s wedding
  • Mangoes More Effective Than Low-Sugar Snacks in Reducing Prediabetes Risk, Study Finds – SUCH TV
  • ICC urged to end ‘pre-arranged’ India-Pakistan clashes

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • Sports
  • World

Copyright © 2025 Breaking News.

Powered by PressBook Blog WordPress theme