{"id":82065,"date":"2025-12-26T17:54:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T16:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/?p=82065"},"modified":"2025-12-26T18:27:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T17:27:22","slug":"ceremony-honoring-athletes-in-elbasan-plaques-awarded-to-20-distinguished-figures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/ceremony-honoring-athletes-in-elbasan-plaques-awarded-to-20-distinguished-figures\/","title":{"rendered":"Ceremony Honoring Athletes in Elbasan: Plaques Awarded to 20 Distinguished Figures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">In an atmosphere of solemnity, emotion, and civic pride, <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Elbasan<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> experienced another special evening that has now become a tradition. The Directorate of Sports and Culture of the <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Municipality of Elbasan<\/span><span class=\"s2\">, under the leadership of director <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Artin Kova\u00e7i<\/span><span class=\"s2\">, organized a gala evening to award recognition plaques to 20 prominent figures of Elbasan\u2019s sports community\u2014individuals who have left an indelible mark on the city\u2019s sporting history and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">This ceremony was not merely a formal act of decoration, but a moment of reflection and gratitude for generations of athletes, coaches, and contributors who, through passion, sacrifice, and dedication, have elevated Elbasan\u2019s name in local, national, and international arenas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cGreater than anything is the recognition of our city. For us, for me, this is the pinnacle. I thank all the people of Elbasan who have followed our matches and supported us over the years,\u201d said one of the athletes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cWe are happy, as veterans, to see the younger generation. This is how it should be\u2014this generation must be remembered every year, because that is the true value of sport,\u201d said another athlete.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">The emotional highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the honoring of <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Enver Ib\u00ebrshimi<\/span><span class=\"s2\">, a living legend of Elbasan and Albanian football. His name is etched in history as a symbolic figure of dedication, talent, and loyalty to the jersey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cThank you very much, and may God grant that all those who contributed could be gathered here,\u201d said Ib\u00ebrshimi, former footballer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">The President of the <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Albanian National Olympic Committee<\/span><span class=\"s2\">, <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Fidel Ylli<\/span><span class=\"s2\">, praised the sports infrastructure and ongoing work in the city, proposing that Elbasan be named <\/span><span class=\"s1\">European City of Sport for 2027<\/span><span class=\"s2\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cTogether, I propose today in this hall that just as we made Tirana the European Capital of Sport, Vlora a European City, and Shkodra as well, we should jointly award Elbasan the title of \u2018European City of Sport\u2019 in 2027,\u201d Ylli stated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Weightlifting and table tennis are also expected to host international events in Elbasan next year. The President of the <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Albanian Weightlifting Federation<\/span><span class=\"s2\">, <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Elez Gjoza<\/span><span class=\"s2\">, announced that Elbasan will host the European Youth Weightlifting Championships from August 2 to August 12, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cThe Albanian Weightlifting Federation will turn Elbasan into Albania\u2019s capital of sport in 2026. I am confident that athletes from across Europe will feel at home here,\u201d Gjoza said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">The gala evening concluded amid strong emotions, commemorative photographs, and the promise that this tradition will continue in the years ahead, ensuring that those who gave Elbasan pride and identity through sport are never forgotten.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In an atmosphere of solemnity, emotion, and civic pride, Elbasan experienced another special evening that has now become a tradition. The Directorate of Sports and Culture of the Municipality of Elbasan, under the leadership of director Artin Kova\u00e7i, organized a gala evening to award recognition plaques to 20 prominent figures of Elbasan\u2019s sports community\u2014individuals who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":82066,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[153,1803],"tags":[150,243,151],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ceremony Honoring Athletes in Elbasan: Plaques Awarded to 20 Distinguished Figures - Euronews Albania<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/ceremony-honoring-athletes-in-elbasan-plaques-awarded-to-20-distinguished-figures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ceremony Honoring Athletes in Elbasan: Plaques Awarded to 20 Distinguished Figures - Euronews Albania\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In an atmosphere of solemnity, emotion, and civic pride, Elbasan experienced another special evening that has now become a tradition. 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