Kosovo Olympic Committee demands disciplinary action against Djokovic

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Kosovo Olympic Committee asked the International Olympic Committee to open disciplinary proceedings against Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic for, as they said, inciting political tensions with his statement that “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia”, made at the French Open tournament.

The head of the Kosovo Olympic Committee Ismet Krasniqi said “Djokovic has again promoted the propaganda of Serbian nationalists and has used the sports platform to do so.”

“Further statements after the match made by such a public figure, without any sense of remorse, directly result in increasing the level of tensions and violence between the two countries,” said Krasniqi.

According to him, the International Olympic Committee should investigate the case, opening disciplinary procedures against the athlete.

The 36-year-old who has won 22 Grand Slam titles wrote in Serbian on the lens of a courtside TV camera “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence” after a first-round victory in Paris on Monday.

Djokovic said that he is against any kind of conflict, but defended his statement, while describing the situation in Kosovo as a “precedent”.

Speaking to reporters in Serbian, Djokovic said that he thought what he wrote on the TV camera was “the least I could do”.

“I feel responsibility as a public figure… as well as a son of a man who was born in Kosovo,” Djokovic said.

Kosovo’s tennis federation previously said that Djokovic’s comments were “deplorable” and stoking tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.

French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said Wednesday that Djokovic’s political message about Kosovo was “not appropriate” and warned the former top-ranked Serb player that he should not do it again.

Speaking on TV station France 2, Oudéa-Castéra said French Open director Amelie Mauresmo spoke with Djokovic and his entourage to insist on the principle of “neutrality” on the field of play.

“When it comes to defending human rights and bringing people together around universal values, a sportsperson is free to do so,” she said, but added that Djokovic’s message was “militant, very political, and must not be repeated”.

French Open organizers indicated in a statement issued Tuesday that no rules had been broken, without mentioning Djokovic by name, saying: “Occasionally, discussions about international news events enter the realm of the tournament, which is understandable.”

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