The country was granted provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Executive Board on Wednesday (22 October), clearing the way for the Kosovo National Olympic Committee (KOC), formed in 1992, to send an independent team to Rio 2016.

But the ICF secretary general Simon Toulson has claimed it will not be able to offer ICF membership to the KOC until after the Games, when the Federation's bi-annual Ordinary Congress is held.

This year's Congress is scheduled to take place in the Polish capital Warsaw from November 3 to 9, however, Toulson said the IOC's provisional recognition of Kosovo had come too close to the start date. 

The KOC currently has more than 30 affiliated National Federations, of which only 13 are Olympic sports federations.

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, expects more International Federations to recognise Kosovo in the not too distant future ©Getty Images



Of these, six are full members of their respective International Federations (IFs), while the other seven are provisional or associate members.

President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, insists the necessary steps have been taken to address the lack of recognition from the IFs for the KOC.

"Seven more sports are in the waiting line and we have received messages from quite a few more that are in the pipeline, either for provisional or full recognition," said Bach.

"They were waiting for the decision by the IOC and then will follow."

Kosovo's Olympic recognition is set to be formally approved at the IOC Extraordinary Session in Monte Carlo on December 8 and 9.

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