| London 2012 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | | | Athlete Biographies | | | Schedules | | | Medals | | | Teams | | | Results | ||||
Kosovo judoka to compete for Albania in London
Olympics Headlines
- Paralympics officials on the lockout for boosting
- Cheating at Paralympics could involve self-harm
- Pistorius to run again, this time at Paralympics
- Pistorius runs again, this time at Paralympics
- Classifying disabilities tricky at Paralympics
- After judo gold, Harrison might go for Rio in 2016
- Paralympic cauldron lit in central London
- Valerie Adams seeks her Olympic gold medal at IOC
- Full TV coverage for Paralympics, just not in US
- Brazil minister not concerned with hotel shortages
Updated May 24, 2012
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) A Kosovo-born judoka says she will compete for Albania at the London Olympics after the IOC ruled she cannot compete as an independent candidate.
Majlinda Kelmend is ranked fifth in the world in the under-115-pound class. She has Kosovo and Albanian citizenship and initially hoped she could overcome political obstacles and represent the new country for the first time. But because Kosovo is not a member of the United Nations it cannot compete as an independent state.
Kosovo seceded from Serbia in 2008 but Serbia rejects the move.
Russia backs Serbia's rejection of Kosovo status while the United States and most EU countries have recognized the breakaway province as a state.
© 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.