Adell Shabovic is very excited to represent Kosovo at the Summer Olympics, Paris 2024.
“I couldn’t be prouder than that,” he says, two weeks before he travels to France.
However, he adds that his culture and ethnicity have never been so much “under the microscope”.
Adelli, 21, is part of the swimming team at Princeton University in the US.
Originally from the city of Peja in Kosovo, but born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His family has been living in the USA for decades, reports Radio Free Europe.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Adelli will participate in the 100-meter freestyle race.
This has been made possible by the invitation of World Aquatics – until recently known as the Federation Internationale de Natation, or the International Federation of Water Sports – as the highest ranking athlete of Kosovo in what are known as Universal Places in Paris 2024.
The invitation was then confirmed by the Olympic Committee of Kosovo.
For Adelli, who has two citizenships – both the USA and Kosovo – representing Kosovo is a dream come true.
