No Serbian athlete can leave the stand if there is a competitor from Kosovo next to him: Maljkovic explained why he won't give up from this opinion
- If the state top doesn't like that, they can replace me - said the president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia
President of the Olympic Committee of Serbia, Bozidar Maljkovic, said that no Serbian athlete can leave the winner's stand if a competitor from the unrecognized, self-proclaimed state Kosovo is next to him.
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Maljkovic stressed that he will remain consistent in his opinion because he is "that kind of man in the spirit of Olympics, justice, the idea of sports", he said in the interview for "Nedeljnik".
- If the state top doesn't like that, they can replace me. If anyone in the state has anything to do against that, they will have to chase me away. We don't recognize Kosovo, everybody understands that, but when an athlete wins a medal, they have to go to the stand no matter who is on that same stand - said Maljkovic.
He cited the case of the recent Youth Olympics in Győr.
- I was at that Olympics and Djordje Visacki said to me - Bozo, we could have a great problem, and that is if the contestant from Kosovo in judo is on the stands with our contestant. The decision of Serbian Government is to write a letter to the president of the International Olympic Committee that we don't recognize Kosovo. And we did that. But that was the attitude in the case of Serbian and Kosovo athletes standing together on the stand in any Olympic sport - my opinion was firm and determined to be in the stand. There is no going away. That didn't happen in Győr, but in the future, if that happens - because I am a man in a spirit of Olympics, justice, the idea of sports - no Serbian athlete must leave the stand - said Maljkovic.
- They can remove me because of this opinion. I came here four years ago to do volunteer work. I came here to elevate this institution, not to turn off the lights. And this costs me. All the people I drink coffee with, Lale Lucic, Bata Djordjevic and the rest tell me: "You are the only Serb that doesn't have to work but you do" - said Maljkovic.
You can read the interview in the latest edition of "Nedeljnik".