Serbia Will Not Participate in the “Counter-Strike” European Championship in Kosovo

From July 9 to 13, the next edition of the European Esports Championship, one of the continent’s biggest electronic sports events, will be held at the “1 Tetori” sports hall in Pristina.

36 teams from 25 European countries will take part in the championship and compete in three disciplines: CS2, CS2 Women and Dota2.

Kosovo will not only host this major competition, but will also be represented by its national team in all three categories.

Acting Deputy Minister of Sport Daulina Osmani emphasized that organizing this event is evidence of a commitment to young people, giving them the opportunity to prove themselves to the world in electronic games as well, while also opening the doors for young people from around the world to come to Kosovo.

“For Kosovo, the championship is much more than a sporting competition; it is concrete evidence of our vision to make Kosovo a center of innovation and sport… We have supported this event together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, investing through events like this in showcasing the capabilities of our young people on the international stage, while also opening the doors of our country to young people from Europe and giving them the opportunity to come and see a dynamic and innovative Kosovo,” Osmani said.

Osmani also announced that Serbia will not take part in this European championship, having withdrawn at the last moment, even though, as Osmani said, Kosovo had prepared a suitable and equal environment for everyone.
According to Osmani, the athletes from Serbia were ready to come to Kosovo, but the decision not to participate was entirely political.

“Of the 25 countries that had previously confirmed their participation in this championship, today we actually have only 24 countries because the Serbian team withdrew from the championship at the last moment… The Republic of Kosovo has guaranteed an equal and safe environment for all countries and all athletes. From an athlete’s perspective, it is regrettable that Serbia’s state institutions do not allow their athletes to come and take part in the biggest Esports competition. Although the athletes themselves were ready to come and compete, it was their own institutions that prevented them from participating. So this was not a sporting decision; on the contrary, it was a typical political decision reflecting Serbia’s state policies,” Osmani said.

Boban Totovski, Secretary General of the International Esports Federation (IESF), said Serbia’s decision was an internal matter and that they do not force anyone to take part in competitions.

“The Sports Association of Serbia decided to withdraw its registered and qualified athletes and not participate in this event; they did not provide further details, citing internal reasons. We certainly cannot force anyone to participate. We are trying to separate esports from politics, but unfortunately, in the times we live in, not only wars but also the political conflicts taking place are making it increasingly complicated to make this separation at specific events.”

This championship is organized by the Esports Federation of Kosovo with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport./KP/