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IMAGE: The world quantity three Novak Djokovic stated he was towards any sort of battle however defended his assertion and described Kosovo’s state of affairs as a “precedent”. {Photograph}: Clive Brunskill/Getty Photographs
Kosovo Olympic authorities have requested the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) to open disciplinary proceedings towards Novak Djokovic, accusing the Serbian of stirring up political rigidity by saying “Kosovo is the center of Serbia” on the French Open.
Djokovic wrote the message on a digital camera lens following his first-round win on Monday, the identical day that 30 NATO peacekeeping troops have been damage in clashes with Serb protesters within the Kosovo city of Zvecan — the place Djokovic’s father grew up.
Serbian authorities stated 52 protesters have been wounded within the clashes. The violence erupted after ethnic Albanian mayors took workplace in northern Kosovo’s Serb-majority space following elections that have been boycotted by the Serbs.
The world quantity three later stated he was towards any sort of battle however defended his assertion and described Kosovo’s state of affairs as a “precedent”.
“Novak Djokovic has but once more promoted the Serbian nationalists’ propaganda and used the game platform to take action,” Ismet Krasniqi, president of Kosovo’s Olympic Committee (KOK), stated in a press release.
“The additional post-match statements made by such a public determine with none feeling of regret, instantly lead to elevating the extent of rigidity and violence between the 2 international locations,” he added, urging the IOC to research “by opening disciplinary proceedings towards the athlete.”
France’s Sports activities Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, whose nation will host the summer season Olympics in Paris subsequent yr, stated Djokovic’s message was “not applicable, clearly”.
“There’s a precept of neutrality for the sphere of play. While you carry messages about defending human rights, messages that convey folks collectively round common values, a sports activities particular person is free to specific them,” she advised French tv.
“However on this case, it was a message that may be very activist, that may be very political. You should not get entangled, particularly within the present circumstances, and it should not occur once more.”
Djokovic, chasing a file twenty third Grand Slam title, has stated he was not holding again and would do it once more. He’s set to play his second-round match in a while Wednesday towards Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics.
The IOC didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
On Tuesday, Kosovo’s tennis federation stated Djokovic’s feedback have been “regrettable”, accusing him of utilizing his standing as a widely known character to stir tensions.
NATO, which has some 4,000 troopers at the moment in Kosovo, will ship 700 additional troops to curb violence and put one other battalion on excessive alert as unrest has intensified.
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