Local authorities in Leposavić, with the support of the Kosovo Police, have taken control of the town’s sports hall, which had been operating under the Serbian system.

The Deputy Mayor of Leposavić, Marina Bogojević, told Radio Free Europe that the purpose of the sports hall will remain unchanged and that it will continue to be accessible to everyone for the same activities as before.

This move is part of a broader series of actions aimed at taking control of facilities or shutting down Serbian-run institutions in Kosovo, which the government in Pristina considers illegal and parallel structures.

Earlier in May, local authorities in North Mitrovica also took control of the city’s sports hall, announcing it would remain operational, with users required to coordinate with the designated management for scheduling.

Kosovo began shutting down Serbian institutions at the beginning of 2024. The first closures included provisional municipal bodies, the Serbian Postal Savings Bank, Serbia’s postal services, the pension and health insurance fund, social work centers, public enterprises, and similar institutions.

In the latest wave of closures, other facilities such as city libraries, the city museum in North Mitrovica, the Institute for Culture, Youth, Sports and Specialized Services, and the cultural-artistic society “Kosovski Božur” have also been included.