| Kosovo at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | KOS |
| NOC | Olympic Committee of Kosovo |
| Website | noc-kosovo.org (in Albanian and Serbian) |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 8 in 5 sports |
| Flag bearer | Majlinda Kelmendi[1] |
| Medals Ranked 54th |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Yugoslavia (1920–1992W) Independent Olympic Participants (1992S) Serbia and Montenegro (1996–2006) Serbia (2008–2012) | |
Kosovo participated at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 5 to 21 August 2016. It was represented by the Olympic Committee of Kosovo (KOK/OKK) with a delegation of eight people, including three men and five women.[2] Most of them were awarded places in their respective sporting events through wild card entries and Tripartite Commission invitations. Two Kosovar athletes, on the other hand, qualified directly for the Olympics on merit: judoka Nora Gjakova (women's 57 kg) and Majlinda Kelmendi (women's 52 kg), the lone returning Olympian on the team after representing Albania four years earlier in London. The world's top-ranked judoka in her weight category and the frontrunner for the country's first Olympic medal, Kelmendi was selected to become Kosovo's flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[3]
Kosovo left Rio de Janeiro with its first Olympic medal of any color, an Olympic gold medal, won by Kelmendi.[4]
- ^ "Kosovo Gets Full Membership In International Olympic Committee". Radio Free Europe. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ "Kosovo sending 8 athletes to its first Olympics". USA Today. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
- ^ Knežević, Gordana (2 August 2016). "Kosovo Will Realize Its Olympic Dreams In Rio". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
- ^ Masters, James (10 August 2016). "Majlinda Kelmendi wins gold for Kosovo's historic first Olympic medal". CNN. Retrieved 19 September 2016.