Stavri Bello, president of the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games Coordination Commission, has expressed his belief that Kosovo will manage to successfully organize the “Prishtina 2030” edition of the Mediterranean Games, assessing that hospitality, developing infrastructure and institutional commitment are the main elements that will lead this event to success.
In an interview for SportCast in KosovaPress, Bello said that the frequent visits to Kosovo during the last years have made him believe that the country is on the right track for the organization of this great sports event.
“Of course, I personally have no doubt in the case of success, from what I have seen here, I have visited Kosovo regularly, very often in recent years and I have no doubt in success because our strong weapon, I will call it, is hospitality. It is what we offer to foreigners, as we offer them our back to be. And this is something that will expose Kosovo in the eyes of foreigners in the best possible way if we also offer them modern infrastructure that the possibilities exist, I saw the accommodation in the university center even now, it is surrounded by greenery, in a very good area, so I think that success, of course, with the maximum commitment of all institutions, cannot be achieved here. It is not about the name of Kosovo’s sport, it is about the name of Kosovo do I have this faith? I was in Kosovo for the first time in 1979. A long time ago, I was with the national basketball team, we played,” said Bello.
The President of the Coordination Commission also recalled his first visit to Kosovo in 1979 with the national youth basketball team, confessing that he was impressed when he learned that the Palace of Youth and Sports was built with the contribution of the citizens of Pristina.
“I learned then, we were surprised, that the Youth Palace was built with the contribution of the citizens of Pristina. So, since then and today the youth do not know this. A part of the youth do not know. So this is a basis, it is a foundation of what it means for Kosovo to organize the Mediterranean Games. That is why I say that I believe that success will be guaranteed because then we wondered how the citizens can pay from their salaries to build a sports palace, today that there are more opportunities, someone should think about investing in this major infrastructure”, declared Bello.
Bello emphasized that the organization of the Mediterranean Games requires the cooperation of all institutions, underlining that this is not only a matter of sports, but also of the image of the state./ KosovaPress
