At the end of December is the time to do the balance of the year 2017, but also to look forward to the challenges ahead in 2018.
We are on the verge of the end of 2017, but what year was this for basketball in Kosovo? What waits us in 2018?
These questions will be answered by the President of the Kosovo Basketball Federation (KBF), Erolld Belegu, who has successfully led the KBF Board and has faced all the challenges that Kosovo basketball encountered during this year.
Year 2017, the strengths and weaknesses of Kosovo’s basketball?
Undoubtedly the biggest achievement of the year has been securing a place with Kosovo’s A representative in qualifying games for the World Cup "China 2019".
We have been in a very difficult group in the pre-qualification phase, together with Estonia and Macedonia and thanks to the home win against these two representatives, with the unswerving support of our viewers we succeeded to join together with Estonia to continue, leaving behind Macedonia, which at the time was 38th in the world rankings.
In addition to the success with Representative A during the summer of this year, we have achieved another success at the level of Representatives, where Kosovo U-20 has completed its adventure at the European Championship U20, Division B in Romania's Oradea in the 12th position. This is the highest achievement by the Young Representatives since joining FIBA.
In organizational terms, the BFK executive office has grown even more by the number, where we have opened new jobs, while two staff members are being educated in the FIBA's so-called "TIME-OUT" program, .
This year for the first time since the admission to FIBA, 3 judges and 1 observer from Kosovo have received the FIBA call, while in 2017 we started with the Training and Licensing Program for Trainers. For us to create new professional cadres is very important, but we are well aware that within a year we cannot achieve the goal, so we must have patience but also the responsibility to realize our goals.
Weakness continues to be because we are limited in terms of infrastructure and proper institutional support. But here the situation has begun to improve, but more work and more financial and logistical support it’s needed on the part of the state.
This year almost for the first time since the post-war we have a weak SuperLiga, which did not meet Kosovo’s basketball fans' expectations.
But to this condition we have come to some of the reasons, and the first is the lack of a law on sponsorship, the exhaustion of sponsors to help the clubs, and without any relief from the state, then work not at the required level and desired by BFK with young generations of as well as the economic-financial crisis that has overtaken every aspect of life in Kosovo, and especially in sports in the last few years.
Unlike the teams, the Basketball Federation of Kosovo has resisted the financial crisis in sports, although the Ministry of Sport only gets 30% of its budget, while in the last two years we have added it by 20%.
What are the priorities of BFK?
The priorities are similar, but every year is changing the way of achieving goals.
Since joining FIBA we are participating in national teams of different generations and in both competitions, but this year came the time to look for results and this also happened after success with Representative A of Kosovo but also with the progress in ranking some of the New Generation Representatives in the European Championship, Divisions B and C.
Additionally, it is true that we are in a very difficult group in the European Cup qualifiers "China 2019", namely Lithuania, Hungary and Poland, but we intend to at least mark two wins at home and so we believe in qualifying further. We are aware that it is not easy at all, but at the same time it is not impossible. We will enter every game to win, because we have now created the winner's mentality.
What are the biggest basketball achievements in Kosovo in 2017?
Success is entirely what we have done with national teams and the fact that we have succeeded in taking on European qualifications for the 2019 World Cup. Now we are playing in this group competition with Lithuania, the world basketball superpower, which has finished 2017 in the 5th position, then with Hungary and Poland.
In November we managed to get off the 96th position in the world rankings for 10 positions, so in the 86th, which is not a little, even though in the first window of European qualifications we could not score any victory in the two games that we played.
In pre-qualifying matches and qualifying matches, we proved to be successful organizers, despite having to make many improvisations in the gym.
Another success is that the Basketball Federation of Kosovo (BFK) has won the right to organize the European Championship U18, Division C (Men). The championship will be held from 22 to 29 July 2018 in Pristina.
Challenges ahead for KBF in 2018?
We have now reached the stage when BFK is focusing more on development programs and work with national teams and is looking forward to the clubs to survive and function with as little direct help from us. To fully complete this takes a little time, but we will continue to push this process forward.
This will be our challenge for the future but in 2018 the main challenge is to try to prevail in the European Championship U18, Division C that will be organized in Pristina so we can then gain the right to competed at a higher level, that of the Division B.
As we have seen above, we aim at home victories in qualifying with Representative A and continue in this competition.
To end a congratulation for all the people who love basketball?
Initially, I want to greet all those basketball fans who, with their support in the match and with honest sports talk and criticism, are helping us to increase our level each day.
Also, I thank all our sponsors who supported us in 2017 and believe that in 2018, with the launch of the Law on Sponsorship, the number of sponsors of the KBF and its clubs will increase even more.
I wish you all the best in 2018 and I hope that the new successes will rejoice together.
