For the first time, the President of the European Paralympic Committee, Raymon Blondel, is visiting Kosovo — marking a historic moment for the country’s Paralympic movement.

During his visit, Blondel met with Njomza Emini, President of the Kosovo Paralympic Committee. At a press conference, Emini said the visit is a powerful sign of support from the European Paralympic movement for a small country like Kosovo, which aims to reach the top of global sports through its para-athletes.

She added that Blondel was introduced to the passion and commitment of Kosovo’s para-athletes, while also seeing the real-life challenges they face.

“This visit is not just a formal meeting or a working visit — it is a strong message and heartfelt support coming from the European Paralympic movement for a small country on the map, but with a big heart and ambitions that look toward the peaks of global sport. During this visit, Blondel had the opportunity to witness one of our regular activities — sitting volleyball — a sport that for us is not just a game. Through this experience, he saw not only the passion of our athletes but also the tireless efforts of the entire community that stands behind them. With this visit, Blondel can directly experience our reality and all the challenges that come with it,” said Emini.

President Blondel also addressed the media and expressed how proud he was to visit Kosovo. He emphasized that 2023 was a special year for the European Paralympic Committee, as it welcomed Kosovo as a full member of its organization.

He said the purpose of his visit was to demonstrate the continued closeness and support the European Paralympic Committee intends to maintain with Kosovo’s movement. He praised Kosovo’s progress in sports and expressed strong belief that results in the Paralympic Games and European championships will soon follow.

Additionally, Blondel said Kosovo has the potential to host a major international Paralympic sporting event in the future.

“Infrastructure is needed for Olympic-level sports, but when it comes to European Championships, it is possible — why not? What we see in international networks and organizations is a lot of new energy coming from Kosovo. At the same time, we see more and more people from Kosovo becoming active in administration and committees, and perhaps even taking on responsibilities in certain sports. This is how a new approach is built — by preparing your country and your sports networks to be ready to offer and host something like this. Yes, absolutely, it is possible,” Blondel stated. The Kosovo Paralympic Committee has been a member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) since 2022, giving Kosovo the right to participate in the Paralympic Games and to organize official events under the IPC umbrella.