Representatives of the Regional Coordination and Advisory Group (RCAG), the winning company for the design of the Mediterranean Games project “Prishtina 2030”, conducted their first field visit to the capital of Kosovo from November 4 to 6.
According to the KosovaPress agency, the purpose of the visit was to initiate practical cooperation in the preparatory phase of the project and to create a common understanding between the parties for the direction of the work and the expectations related to the organization of the event.
During the visit, the RCAG delegation inspected some of the main sports facilities and locations that are expected to be included in the Mediterranean Games, including the “Fadil Vokrri” stadium, the Palace of Youth and Sports, the boulevards of Pristina (where the 3×3 basketball competitions will be held), the planned Olympic swimming complex, the Park of Germia, the area planned for the Athletes’ Village, the Center of the Kosovo Olympic Committee and the dedicated hotels for “Games Family”.
The General Secretary of the Kosovo Olympic Committee, Besim Aliti, said that the visit had two main goals: the planning of operations and services that will be offered to the participants in the Mediterranean Games, as well as the assessment of the sports infrastructure that must be created. He added that one of the key topics is the involvement of local human resources, with the aim that over 500 young people from Kosovo will engage in different levels of management of the organization.
On the other hand, Fidan Shatri from the Ministry of Sports announced that the recommendations from this visit will be included in the general master plan of the Mediterranean Games.
The visit marked the beginning of the first phase of the project, known as the “Discover” phase, which aims to coordinate the work between international experts and the Organizing Committee of “Prishtina 2030”. During the stay, discussions were held on key issues such as the organizational structure and governance of the Games, project management, sports program planning, facilities master plan, as well as resource and risk management.
The RCAG delegation included Rob Clarke, Egemen Onen, Erin McEvoy, Neil Carney and Dave Berry, while Ben Emerson followed the developments virtually. Representatives of the “Prishtina 2030” Organizing Committee and local institutions also participated in the meetings.
The President of the Kosovo Olympic Committee, Ismet Krasniqi, announced that the first draft of the master plan will be prepared in cooperation with foreign experts and will be presented at the General Assembly of the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games (ICMG), which will be held at the end of November in Portugal.
“Today we saw the first draft of the plan, which will be reviewed by the ICMG. The RCAG delegation will continue its visits to several sports facilities in Pristina and Mitrovica, including the Student Center, the Youth Palace and the Germia amphitheater. By the end of November, we will be ready to present our work and preparations“, declared Krasniqi.
The visit concluded with the preparation of a detailed work plan and the determination of the next steps towards the second phase of the organization of the Prishtina 2030 Mediterranean Games.
