Kosovo Olympic authorities have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to open disciplinary proceedings against Novak Djokovic, accusing the Serbian of stirring up political tension by saying “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” at the French Open.
Djokovic wrote the message on a camera lens following his first-round win on Monday, the same day that 30 NATO peacekeeping troops were hurt in clashes with Serb protesters in the Kosovo town of Zvecan — where Djokovic’s father grew up.
The world No. 3 later said he was against any kind of conflict but defended his statement and described Kosovo’s situation as a “precedent”.
“Novak Djokovic has yet again promoted the Serbian nationalists’ propaganda and used the sport platform to do so,” Ismet Krasniqi, president of Kosovo’s Olympic Committee (KOK), said in a statement.
“The further post-match statements made by such a public figure without any feeling of remorse, directly result in raising the level of tension and violence between the two countries,” he added, urging the IOC to investigate “by opening disciplinary proceedings against the athlete.”
The International Tennis Federation, however, said Djokovic’s statement did not violate any rules because the grand slam rulebook does not ban political statements.
France minister irked
France’s sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, whose country will host the summer Olympics in Paris next year, said Djokovic’s message was “not appropriate, clearly”.
“There is a principle of neutrality for the field of play. When you carry messages about defending human rights, messages that bring people together around universal values, a sports person is free to express them,” she told French television.
“But in this case, it was a message that is very activist, that is very political. You shouldn’t get involved, especially in the current circumstances, and it shouldn’t happen again.”
Svitolina support
Fellow-tennis player Elina Svitolina, however, spoke up in defence of Djokovic on Wednesday, saying that in a free world he should have the right to express his opinion.
The Ukrainian, who has called for all Russian and Belarusian tennis players to be banned from international competition over Moscow’s 2022 invasion of her country, said Djokovic could speak his mind.
“Well, we are living in the free world, so why not say your opinion on something,” Svitolina said.