Abodi and Gonxhja: meeting between Kosovo and Albania ahead of the 2030 Mediterranean Games
The bilateral cooperation will be formalised by the end of September, when a Memorandum of Understanding is due to be signed, setting out the content, timetable and operational arrangements for exchanges between the two countries
On the sidelines of the 20th Mediterranean Games in Taranto, the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, met his Albanian counterpart, Blendi Gonxhja, to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of sport. The talks focused on the training of managers and coaches, infrastructure development, applied research in sports medicine and, in particular, anti-doping.
The upcoming 2030 Games
The Albanian delegation expressed an interest in Italy’s organisational expertise, gained through the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and the Mediterranean Games, which have just got under way in Taranto. This transfer of expertise is already looking ahead to the 21st edition of the Games, scheduled for 2030 in Pristina and Durres – the first to be organised jointly by Kosovo and Albania.
The models shown
The two ministers also discussed the role of sport in schools and universities as a means of promoting inclusion and social cohesion. Abodi presented the Italian methods for measuring sports GDP and the satellite account for sport to his Albanian counterparts, as well as the models used by the Institute for Sport and Cultural Credit and by Sport and Health, which aroused the interest of the Albanian side.
The September Protocol
The bilateral cooperation will be formalised by the end of September, when a Memorandum of Understanding is due to be signed, setting out the content, timetable and operational arrangements for exchanges between the two countries.
