KARATE IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA: FROM INTER-ETHNIC INTEGRATION TO DISINTEGRATION

Abstract

The area of  Kosovo and Metohija has a rich martial tradition in which folk wrestling stands out. When karate came to Serbia in 1963, in just a few years it had already left its mark in the southern Serbian province. The first club was opened in 1969, and soon numerous clubs appeared throughout the province where thousands of karate fighters trained. It is emphasized that all the clubs were multi-ethnic, where Serbs and Albanians practiced equally. The key sensei for the whole of Yugoslavia were Dr. Vladimir and Ilija Jorga, who did their part in the complete integration of the Albanian masters. Albanians were also part of a committee during examinations for higher black belt degrees even in central Serbia. In addition, prominent Albanian karateka were also lecturers at seminars along with with great Japanese masters. The wars of 1998-1999 had its consequences and multi-ethnic karate of Kosovo and Metohija disintegrated. From prominent practitioners of karate, on the Albanian side, Nazmi Iberdemaj stands out as the most prominent expert in this skill. However, there is also karate master Isak Musliu, a member of the KLA who was accused in The Hague of abusing his victims in the Lapusnik camp with karate techniques. From the Serbian side, the most prominent is Oliver Ivanovic. He built his career in karate as a judge of the highest rank. In politics, he advocated inter-ethnic dialogue, but he was killed in 2018 under unclear circumstances.