The Technical Meeting and the Official Draw were held in the Lah Nimani U19 Tournament which is holding in Kosovo’s capital city, in Prishtina.
The Lah Nimani U19 Tournament will open with nine contests on Saturday and altogether 35 male boxers will participate in 10 weight categories in Prishtina. Montenegro’s European U17 Champion Matija Roganovic could be one of the stars of the event and he will open his campaign against Albania’s Stigi Rahmani at the 85kg on Saturday.
The Technical Delegate of the Lah Nimani U19 Tournament, Mr. Svetoslav Sapundjiev of Bulgaria, led the meeting and introduced the competition rules for the participating teams.
Mr. Latif Demolli, Kosovo’s Referee & Judge and their Secretary General, is the key engine of the Lah Nimani Memorial Tournament and all of the events in Kosovo.
Boxers who were born in 2008 and in 2009 are eligible to participate in the Lah Nimani U19 Tournament this year.
Kosovo Boxing Federation’s international event is a good opportunity for the U19 boxers to meet the region’s best talents and check their current skills before the main competitions such as the European U19 Boxing Championships.
Mr. Lah Nimani was a legendary boxing coach in Kosovo, one of the most successful sports figures of the country during the Yugoslavian era. Mr. Fazli Hajrizi, the Professor from Mitrovica, introduced his book this year which was dedicated to Mr. Lah Nimani, the “Emblem of Eternity”.
Kosovo joined the boxing world in 2012 and their boxers claimed some top results in the level of the Olympic Games, Women’s World Boxing Championships and European Youth Boxing Championships.
Bulgaria’s Yanko Iliev became the Best Boxer of the last edition of the Lah Nimani Youth Tournament following his success at the 55kg weight class over Albania’s Stiven Xhixhi one year ago.
Albania’s Ahmet Koci received the Best Technical Boxer Award after beating Bulgaria’s powerful Sami Khalil in the final of the 75kg weight class which was one of the strongest divisions in the entire competition in 2025.