The Minister of Sports and Youth, Blerim Gashani, has admitted that the organization of the Mediterranean Games "Prishtina 2030" is facing difficulties and delays, citing institutional instability and problems in inter-institutional communication as reasons.
Speaking at the plenary session of the Kosovo Assembly, Gashani said that the two-year period of instability has negatively affected preparations for organizing this major sporting event.
He emphasized that the Law on the Mediterranean Games was not approved for 15 months, while after receiving the mandate, according to him, rapid action was taken to proceed with it and form the Organizing Committee.
"I'm telling you that yes, we have concerns, we have difficulties because there has been instability and that two-year period has caused delays and difficulties in the Mediterranean Games as well. To name just a few of them, the Law on the Mediterranean Games has not been approved for 15 months and as soon as we received the mandate, we proceeded with very rapid dynamics and then the formation of the Organizing Committee also resulted and we are continuing with full intensity", declared Gashani.
The Minister has also acknowledged that the difficulties are not only related to communication between local institutions, but also with the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games (ICMG).
He said that there are disagreements and internal frictions, which, according to him, are not useful to discuss publicly, while also mentioning the lack of a complete government as one of the factors that have influenced this process.
Another concern that Gashani has raised in the Assembly is related to Kosovo's geographical inclusion in the organization of the Mediterranean Games, a principle that, according to him, has been decided not to be respected during 2025.
“Natyrisht që kemi vështirësi sepse vështirësi kemi edhe me komunikim ndërinstitucional por edhe me komunikim me Komitetit Ndërkombëtar të Lojërave Mesdhetare që është ICMG. Ku është vështirësia kryesore me ICMG-n, por poashtu edhe me institucionet tona. Ka shumë, edhe komunikimet e fërkimet e brendshme dhe mospajtimet e brendshme nuk është mirë të dalin ne publik sepse nuk ndihmojnë. Jo pse nuk jemi transparent por sepse nuk ndihmojnë por disa prej vështirësive janë në mungesë të një qeverie të plotë. Gjatë vitit 2025 është vendosur që njëri nga parimet bazë të Lojërave Mesdhetare ‘Prishtina 2030’ të shkelet. Cili është ai? Njëri nga parimet bazë të Lojërave Mesdhetare ‘Prishtina 2030’ është përfshirja gjeografike, përfshirja e krejt Kosovës”, ka deklaruar Gashani.
The Mediterranean Games “Prishtina 2030” are expected to be held from 24 July to 4 August 2030, with Kosovo hosting the event for the first time. Their organization foresees the involvement of several cities in the country, while one of the main infrastructure projects is the construction of the National Swimming Center in Pristina.
Preparations for this event have been accompanied by concerns about the dynamics of project implementation, institutional coordination, and fulfillment of obligations to the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games (ICMG).
