Weightlifting, Albania’s only hope in London Olympics

TIRANA, July 24 – Romela Begaj, a female weightlifter who made it to sixth in Beijing and won silver at the 2012 European Championships, will be the Albanian flag bearer at the London 2012 Olympics. Speaking at a ceremony in Tirana this week before the Albanian team departed for London, Begaj, 25, said carrying the national flag at the Parade of Nations was both an honour and great responsibility. “I promise to do my best,” pledged Begaj, who is one of the five Albanian weightlifters participating in the London Olympics scheduled for July 27 to August 12.
Other athletes from the 11-Albania team include Kosovo judo fighter Majlinda Kelmendi who is running for Albania after she was told by the International Olympic Committee she could not represent Kosovo because of not formally being recognized as a nation by the IOC.Majlinda Kelmendi holds both Albanian and Kosovan passports and in 2009 won gold at the world junior championships under the Albanian flag. Last May, she secured her place for London 2012 by finishing fifth in the Olympic qualification rankings.
Klodiana Shala, a runner competing in the women’s 200 metres, completes the list of the seven Albanian athletes who earned their qualification for the London 2012.
Four other athletes competing in swimming, athletics and shooting are participating in the Olympic Games thanks to invitations granted by the IOC.
“If the Albanian flag was hoisted atop of Everest by six climbers, now it’s your turn to hoist it in London,” Culture and Sports Minister Aldo Bumci told the Albanian team in a ceremony.
Weightlifter Erkand Qerimaj, the European Champion in Antalya 2012, could have been Albania’s best athlete in the London 2012 but will miss the competition after testing positive for doping and being suspended for more than one year from international competitions.
The London 2012 will be Albania’s sixth participation in the Olympic Games since its debut in 1972.
Albania sent a team of four shooters and a weightlifter to the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. The team did not reappear at the Olympic Games until 1992. They have enjoyed most success in weightlifting.
In 1972 Ymer Pampuri broke the Olympic record for the press at featherweight and finished ninth overall. More recently, Ilirjan Suli finished fifth in the men’s middleweight category at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Romela Begaj was sixth in the women’s lightweight at Beijing 2008. In Beijing, Albania’s team of 11 was the largest in their history.