After IOC pressure, Spain lets Kosovo athletes compete under flag

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) welcomed with "deepest satisfaction" Wednesday the Spanish government's decision to let athletes from Kosovo compete under their own flag.

The decision marks a turnabout for Madrid, which was put under pressure this week after the IOC called on international sporting federations not to award major competitions to Spain until athletes from Kosovo could take part without being discriminated against.

The IOC warning had come after athletes from Kosovo were banned from participating under their own flag at the 2018 Karate World Championships in Madrid earlier this month.

The news was reported on Monday by insidethegames.biz, a website that specializes in Olympic, Commonwealth and Paralympic Games news.

The Spanish government said Wednesday that it would provide sports delegations from Kosovo with the relevant visas and allow them to use their own national symbols, anthem and flag, according to the joint statement released by the IOC and Spanish Olympic Committee (COE).

Kosovo, almost entirely inhabited by ethnic Albanians, seceded from Serbia is 2008 and is now officially recognized by more than 110 countries worldwide.

Spain decided not to recognize Kosovo due to fears that it could fuel the ambitions of separatists in its Basque and Catalan regions.