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Loughborough team appointed to shape Kosovo’s national sport act

A team from Loughborough University has been appointed by the Kosovo government to draft the country’s new national sports act.

Led by Dr Borja García and PhD student Ximing Fan (both School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences) the project will be completed in two stages.

Dr García will form part of an international panel of experts to deliver a "concept document" and "impact assessment" for the cabinet. These documents will analyse the current state of sport in Kosovo including the causes of the current situation and the consequences this has for Kosovo sport.

Based on that analysis, the concept document will propose possible legislative solutions, together with an implementation plan.

Once approved by the government, the legislative text of the act itself will also be drafted and submitted for adoption by the parliament of the Republic of Kosovo, together with a new sports strategy over the next five years.

“The new national sports act will bring Kosovo into line with modern western European sports system,” explained Dr García.

“Its focus on good governance and EU and international standards could make Kosovo one of the most modern sport systems in the western Balkans. The main objective of this legislative reform is to improve sport participation and to modernise sport infrastructure and governance in the country, whilst aligning the legislation with the EU acquis for future accession of Kosovo to the EU.”

Dr García was selected amongst a group of international experts by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports due to his extensive research and world-leading expertise on good governance and EU sport law and policy, two of the main strategic objectives of the new act.

Kosovo Sports Minister, Daulina Osmani, added: “Considering all the changes that have occurred in sport at the national level, the actual legal framework doesn’t correspond to the current needs of our sport community.

“The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports – as the responsible public institution for sport development in Kosovo –  has come to the conclusion that the reform of the sport law in Kosovo is a necessary measure that should be taken as a priority.

“We are glad to count on Dr García as part of the team undertaking this very important work for Kosovo.”

Dr García’s academic profile can be viewed here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/schools/sport-exercise-health-sciences/people/borja-garcia-garcia/

 

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 22/178

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2022 QS World University Rankings – the sixth year running – and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.

Loughborough is ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2023, and 10th in both the Guardian University League Table 2022 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes

The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

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