Prime Minister Edi Rama Edi Rama attended the event, who presented Albania’s Brazilian coach Sylvinho Mendes Campos Júnior with a trophy awarded by the Albanian Olympic Committee.

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It is absolutely a privilege for me to have been granted the opportunity to personally present the manager of our national team with this symbol of appreciation and award from the Albanian Olympic Committee and I very much hope this small trophy will be a sign and good omen in the stride for a much bigger trophy.

I haven’t had much opportunity to speak with the coach, but I spoke briefly with President of the Albanian Football Federation earlier this morning, because I happened to meet the manager of the Italian national side in Rome, who, among others, told me:”Albania is the best performing squad compared with all national sides currently. I hope Albania will decline and Italy will improve performance in the next six months, but if I were given the chance to choose, I would in no way choose to take on Albania in the opening game.”

I would like to briefly address each and every one of you at this moment of festive track record of the Albanian Olympic Committee. I think we have ushered in a new era with the incredible success of the national football side, on one hand, a hard-fought success and accomplishments being through tough moments from the previous qualification to the last qualification for a major European tournament. It is a significant success for the country and the whole nation, as it shows that nothing stands in their way and stops them when a team of talented men, with a strong desire and commitment to make any sacrifices to achieve their common goal, also with the right management.

I am very happy we have already overcome a stage that has been not only extremely difficult, but also incredibly indecent for all of us, the Albanian state, the government and definitely the Albanian sports committees and federations, namely the stage when – as the President of the Albanian Olympic Committee rightly noted – our champions and athletes had either fled or were representing other countries, or they were denied any support from the government when they represented Albania in the international sports events, and when they retired they were totally abandoned.

Today, not only this is no longer the case, but it has been already guaranteed that it will never happen again, because every sportsman and sportswoman, who achieve successful athletic performance, winning local and international prizes, are all entitled to a reward and are included in a system that makes sure that all these champions take a honorable position in the society once they retire from the sports activity and events and they remain not only in the heart and the memories of those who have witnessed their triumph, but also in their daily lives by joining the Armed Forces, the security forces and by being awarded the highest military and law enforcement ranks, which are in a way symbolic ones, as they don’t actually exercise the duties and the powers of colonels and lieutenant colonels and so on, but as much as they are symbolic, they are also compatible with a secure salary for life, they are also compatible with the corresponding pension that comes after the salary, without even counting an impact next and I closed, that the rewards for our athletes who bring medals to our country are among the highest in Europe. This is the only way we have succeeded in stopping athletes from leaving and we had never imagined that foreign athletes, not only from the East but also from the West, would ever represent Albania by becoming Albanian citizens, something that has actually been the case in more powerful and wealthier countries. I am very glad to announce that it was just a few days ago that we provided the Football Federation with some support in terms of management and preparations for the European Championship next year.

However, I am confident the best is ahead and that we have also embarked on a process of taking sports movement to a whole new level, just like the process we already have started with the sports movement in schools that forms a very important foundation, but which will take both time and the necessary patience to fully take a final shape.

On behalf of each and every one of you I would like to extend a special appreciation to the President of the European Olympic Committee, who is honoring us through his attendance in this event together with the Secretary General. Coincidentally, one of them is Greek and the other Italian, so Greeks, Italians and Albanians have all come together in a single common family, whereas a Brazilian is also joining us. We will let the Greek and the Italian be the way they are, but we will make sure that the Brazilian becomes an Albanian and together with the President of the Football Federation we have made our mind to do so, but the Brazilian has also gladly accepted to acquire Albanian citizenship. I would like again to thank and express personal gratitude to each and every one of you also for the fact that despite you being here to celebrate together with the sportsmen and sportswomen at this gala evening hosted by the Olympic Committee you were again forced to listen to my speech too.

Thank you!

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Prime Minister Rama hailed the event as a milestone for Albanian sports and the country’s Armed Forces.

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Today is really a historic day for both the Albanian sports and the Armed Forces, because a group of elite sportswomen and sportsmen join the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania after having flown Albania’s national flag to the zenith of the world and European athletic performance.

It is also a very special day for this group that includes three Albanian champions from Kosovo, who as of today will join the Albanian champions from Albania under the same national flag, for the same mission and the same ambitions and common will to serve not only sports, but also the Armed Forces.

Including these champions and awarding them the most senior military officer rank of the colonel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania, and other group that have been presented with other military ranks according to their accomplishments in sports, in addition to its symbolic, definitely represents an added moral value, an added professional value, because Albanian champion medal holders have now emerged from the dark part of being neglected and completely forgotten by the state and will now hold ranks among our servicemen, our army commanders and will join the ongoing efforts to take our army to a whole new level through the power of their example and make the example of their power available to the training and physical and psychological training of our armed forces.

I feel very relieved from a burden that our government is finally removing from its back of countless inherited burdens, because starting as of today we will dare look our champions in the eyes, as well as everybody else involved in sports, without feeling embarrassed for their poor treatment or neglect.

On the other hand, it is extremely important for these children around this rostrum and for all the children, all young Albanian girls and boys be motivated to do and pursue sports and work hard to follow the lead of our champions and make them believe that they will take the floor at this rostrum after having made their way to the podiums in the international sport arenas and they won’t be the forgotten champions, they won’t be abandoned people as they will receive not only a decent pay until their last active day, but also a pension according to their rank and will be provided the opportunity to ensure deserved contribution to their families.

The reward and the remuneration for the lowest-ranking serviceman in the Armed Forces of Albania today is significantly higher than the minimum wage, but it will keep increasing year by year, as we have constantly done and we will continue increasing the monthly wages for the members of the Armed Forces and it is our ambition that all of those joining the armed forces, when dispatched for international missions, be on par with other servicemen from the NATO member states. Our servicemen will receive the highest average wage of NATO countries and this won’t happen in the next ten years, but in the few coming years.

To cut it short, I would like to recall one of the most beautiful memories of this whole period during which I have had the incredible privilege and the honour to head the government and this memory has to do with the meeting I had with the two Olympic champion medal holders from Kosovo, together with their coach, the master Driton Kuka, last summer, when they were so kind to come together with their gold medal and the only think they asked was granting them the opportunity to become citizens of the Republic of Albania and obtain the red and black passport of the Republic of Albania.

They are among us today, not only as citizens of the Republic of Albania, but also as bright examples shining in the eyes of young boys and girls, an example of talent, strong will, success and patriotism.

God bless the Armed Forces of Albania and may the Albanian nation be proud of them forever.

Thank you!

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“Today, a group of sportspeople who have raised the national flag to the highest peak on the world or European sports scene become part of the Armed Forces. This is a very special day because this group also includes 3 Albanian champions from Kosovo, who from today on will be together with the Albanian champions from Albania under the same flag, for the same mission with the same ambitions and will be united in function not only of sports, but also of the Armed Forces”, said Rama.

The prime minister emphasized that the involvement of these champions and their promotion today to the highest rank of colonel of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania, as well as the rest with other ranks according to their achievements in sports, constitutes without any doubt an added moral and professional value beyond symbolism.

“I am very relieved today by another burden that our government finally removes from the back of the great inherited burdens of the past, because from today we can look in the eyes of the champions, but also all those dedicated to individual sports or collective, without lowering their heads from the madness, not to mention shame for their forgetfulness and oblivion”, said Rama.

The prime minister highlighted the fact that in the not too distant past, talented boys have raised flags of other countries in international activities, because their country did not give them any opportunity to compete for our national flag./p.s./

PM Rama hosted the group of distinguished sportsmen in a special ceremony at the Maps Hall at the Prime Minister’s office, where he conferred the Grand Star of Public Gratitude Medal to weightlifters Briken Calja and  Erkand Qerimaj and wrestler Zelimkhan Abakarov. The Premier also awarded the Star of the Public Gratitude to Eklent Kaçi, alpine skier Lara Colturi, boxer Alban Beqiri and bodybuilder Gentiana Beqa.

PM Rama noted in his remarks that government allocates financial support to medal winners in various sport disciplines, practically ranking elite sportswomen and sportsmen in par with their European peers and counterparts in terms of the financial assistance and remuneration, underlining that an additional payment will be also allocated to this category of sportsmen for the special training period to allow them train in optimum conditions together with their coaches and training staff.

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Hello everyone and allow me to welcome the President of International Weightlifting Federation, also my friend Mohammed (Jalood ), who is in love with Albania and will become an Albanian citizen soon, because what he thinks only is how to come back to Albania since he set foot in Albania for the first time and he finds all sorts of excuses to do so, and this for a good strong reason, as Albania hosted the world junior weightlifting championship and he deserves not only an applause for this, but also an expression of respect and admiration for the outstanding work Elez does as the head of the Federation.

It is an honour and a pleasure that in the course of an already established tradition with its cornerstone laid by our most incredible champion, Luiza, we honour through a family ceremony several other sports champions, who following the traces of a new tradition, we have decided to consolidate step by step, have raised our national flag and have made possible our national anthem be listened at the international and European sport arenas.

And I would avail myself of this opportunity to add that we also are determined to further deepen support for the elite sportsmen, in tandem with the sports movement in schools across the country. These are two paths through which we have decided to move sports forward, taking into consideration the needs of the elite sportsmen, not only the champions, but also the needs of those with the potential to become champions.

We will finally forward the online sports betting bill to parliament after the proposed piece of legislation will go through a public consultation process and approval by the government. The legislation will represent a significant step towards formalizing an aspect of this betting activity that, as experience shows, we are not the only ones to fail in our efforts to ban it, but this is the case with every country, including the countries with a broader authoritarian control, because it is an activity that takes advantage of incredibly infinite online opportunities.

So instead of letting this activity remain an informal one, most likely also fed by the illegal money, it will become a formalized activity that will provide access to the biggest international companies, an activity that would offer guarantees to players in all aspects, something they currently lack, and as stipulated by law all the revenue generated through this activity will be earmarked for sports, culture and technology. By technology I mean more support mostly for the youth digital education, but unlike previously the law clearly stipulates that the generated revenue will in no way be used to cover the government’s other needs, but instead will be allocated to support sports, culture and technology only. A new structure will be established, tasked with management and overseeing the whole functioning of this nascent industry. In the meantime a national board will become operational, with its members including government representatives, the head of the Olympic Committee, the President of the Albanian Football Federation to periodically decide about funding allocations according to projects and the needs of sport federations, the sector of culture, groups and various entities interested in developing cultural projects, as well as to support young people involved in the domain of technological development, in terms of their education and the launch of start-ups. It is a significant fund that we project conservatively and it will be a very necessary, but also very productive, new support for sports so that the sports movement continues and further strengthens.

Together with the sport federations, we have been focusing on women and men volleyball and basketball games, working in the meantime with other federations to create and provide opportunities so that more schoolchildren and students become involved in sports in schools across and notice the possible talented players and young sportsmen in various disciplines.

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During the event in honor of 7 talented Albanian sportsmen, World and European champions in weightlifting, skiing, wrestling, boxing, billiards and bodybuilding, Rama said that in this aspect, Albania is certainly the first in the region, but also in relation to many countries that have world champions in these disciplines.

“We want to continue doing this by adding support for the special training period, to give them the opportunity to train in the required parameters, like it was the case of Luiza Gega who needed training at thousands of meters above sea level”, he added.

The prime minister emphasized that this is not just a matter of competitions, victories and medals, which are very important in terms of sports, but it is a matter of examples to be followed”.

“They are examples of passion, perseverance, sacrifice and extraordinary courage to test all limits and overcome them. We are very determined to deepen support for elite athletes, simultaneously through support for the sports movement in schools. There are two tracks that continue to move the sport forward by considering the needs of elite athletes, not only champions but also those who have the potential to become champions”, he added./p.s./

Prime Minister Edi Rama shared in the social media the photos of 7 elite athletes in the country saying that today they also work in the Ministry of Defense.

“7 stars of national pride who have made us so proud with their trophies in the international arena, are today all members of the Ministry of Defense. And the Ministry of Defense is preparing the relevant legislation for creation of a special structure for elite athletes in the Armed Forces”, wrote Rama on social media.

Luiza Gega, the champion who gave Albania a gold medal in the 3000 meters steeplechase at the European Athletics Championship.

Distria Krasniqi, the indomitable judoka from Kosovo, also won the gold medal at the Olympic Games “Tokyo 2020”.

Nora Gjakova, the judoka who won the Olympic gold medal, in the category up to 57 kilograms at the Olympic Games “Tokyo 2020”.

Briken Calja was declared world champion in the weight up to 73 kg at the World Weightlifting Championship, in Uzbekistan in 2021.

Ilir Këllezi, a talented athlete who has made our country proud with his many medals and cups in international competitions and marathons.

Ilirian Suli, one of the most successful weightlifters of our country. With over 100 national records, he is the world runner-up in weightlifting.

Indrit Çullhaj, the judoka who, among many successes in the national arena, managed to be crowned as the Balkan champion in 2018./r.e/p.s./

The minister discussed with the athletes issues of interest for development of sports and improvement of conditions for the athletes, so that to guarantee all athletes have a good future here, in our country.

“Athletes are our best ambassadors in representing Albania everywhere in the world. Therefore, in the meeting with some of the young athletes, I expressed my personal and institutional support for sports in general and for young people like them in particular, as they are the future of the elite of the Albanian sport “, – said Minister Kushi.

Kushi underlined that it is very important to hear not only their successes, but also the daily difficulties and challenges they face, in order to improve the joint work for the development of sports in our country.

“We chose not by chance the Olympic Center” Tirana Olympic Park “as a very important investment of the Albanian Government, with the best standards, in full service of young talents,” said Kushi.

The support for young athletes is already reflected even in the proposed legal changes. The criteria, and the way of rewarding and treating the athletes, who benefit the high level status, and their coaches have already been defined for them.

The reward will be provided after the announcement of the final official results by the international federation of the respective sport./k.s/p.s./