Taulant Stërmasi is elected president of the Athletics federation, but only for one year

Taulant Stërmasi will be the president of the Albanian Athletics Federation until August 2024. It has already become a tradition that the elections in the federations are held at the end of the Olympics, so the normal elections will also take place in August 2024. These held yesterday were extraordinary elections, influenced by the penalty received by the previous heads of the federation as a result of the "falsification" of the result of the athlete Izmir Smajlaj.

Elections

The Albanian Athletics Federation held the Extraordinary Electoral Assembly yesterday morning, after the 5-year suspension of the former president, Gjergj Ruli. Taulant Stërmasi has been elected the President of the Albanian Athletics Federation. The well-known coach defeated Ferdinad Canaj and Artan Shytaj in the competition. Everything was decided in the second round of voting, since in the first round none of the candidates met 2/3 of the votes. Taulant Stërmasi will be in charge of the athletics federation until August 27, 2024. It is only a one-year mandate because in 2024 all federations will undergo the regular election process. Taulant Stërmasi will replace Gjergj Rulin in this position, who has been suspended from the athletics integrity unit until December 8, 2026. together with Nikolin Dionisi who held the position of general secretary. Dionisi is suspended until April 5, 2028. All this situation was created after the issue of manipulation of the result of Izmir Smajlaj in the competition of May 8, 2021, which was 8.16 meters. Athlete Izmir Smajlaj was acquitted by the athletics integrity unit after the court found that the charges against him were not proven, as he was unaware that he was involved in the conspiracy to submit the false information. The businessman Mirton Lika was also in this race, but he withdrew from the race 48 hours before the elections, leaving it in the hands of 3 members and members of the athletics family. The elections for the president of the Albanian Athletics Federation were held for a term in continuation of the current one, of former president Gjergj Ruli, until August 27, 2024, to resolve the impasse created with national and international activities, which had remained suspended due to the investigation against the former leaders of FSHA. Then the Electoral Assembly will be held for a 4-year term.

objectives

The Federation in this one year that remains until the Olympics must do its best to enable as many athletes as possible to the Summer Olympic Games of 2024. This is not about Luiza Gega as she has the Olympic standard and in her race is one of the most the best in the world, so her participation is not discussed. In the competition are Smajlaj, Burraj and some others, so Stërmas has a duty to make the most of the time to enable the participation of the best athletes in important European and world athletics competitions, competitions that have qualifying value.