Lumturije Rama, Urata Rama and Drilon Ibrahimi are not only names that have entered in the history of Kosovar shooters they are also the names of the only individuals in Vitia who are keeping this sport alive.
This sport has brought many successes to this town for years.
These three shooters began playing with slingshots and toy guns as children and now, have reached Olympic Games standards for shooters. Their journey, however, was difficult and full of challenges.
They started their career in the shooting club “Shënjestra” in 2002 in Vitia, at very young age, 16-17 years old. After the death of the club’s founder and coach, the members changed the name to “Jeton Rama” in 2006, to honor his long contribution in the club. The coach discovered a lot of talented young individuals. Among them were Urata, Lumturie and Drilon.
Lumturije and Urata Rama are the first female shooters that participated in the Olympic Games, in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2015. Urata also participated in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Meanwhile, Drilon Ibrahimi has been the number one champion shooter in Kosovo since 2002, and now he is also a champion in Albania. Last year, he broke the Kosovo record in the discipline “standard air gun” three times in the male category.
Unfortunately, the club from which they came turned out to be the biggest challenge in their careers. The debt that the club has to the Shooting Federation of Kosovo and the fact that it does not function properly makes it impossible for them to participate in competitions in Kosovo and abroad.
Selami Bejta, head of this club since 2010, also speaks of the problems of this club, noting that it doesn’t function properly.
“This club has owed debts to the federation since before I became head of it. Every year, we have to pay the federation a sum of money to license us and however much we tried to repay that debt, it has been our burden for years,” says Bejta. He adds that they are trying to save the club from failure and hopes that they will make it.
Wanting to continue his career in this unusual sports discipline, Drilon Ibrahimi decided to become a member of the club “Polici” from Prishtina, due to the fact that his former club doesn’t function well.
On the other side, Lumturije and Urata Rama took the initiative to create a new club in March 2017.
“When our way toward international competitions cleared in 2015, we thought that it was the end of our challenges. When the club stopped functioning because the director neglected the problems it had, we thought of creating a new club and having a fresh start,” says Urata.
Lumturije Rama says that they are on their way to finalizing the conditions needed to register a new shooting club called “Anamorava.”
“We thought that with a new energy we can found a new club, so that the club’s activities can be more efficient and functional. Together with Urata Rama, we hope to have stronger motivation to promote shooting and to encourage the new generation to participate in sports,” says Lumturie.
Gëzim Hazrolli, the head of the Shooting Federation of Kosovo, has confirmed that “Anamorava” club is on its way to getting registered.
“I hope that all the procedures to finalize the registration will be completed by the end of the month. I believe that with our continuous support and with the support of the Municipality of Vitia, there will be no more obstacles,” says Hazrolli.
Although the champion Ibrahimi was forced to join a club in another town in order to participate in competitions, he says that he will return to Vitia when the new club is registered.
He believes that with the new club and continuous and the intensive work he will do his best in competitions and in this way, be a motivation for young citizens to participate in this sport.
“Now we have the support of the municipality and the shooting federation, which is very helpful and to us seems like a light at the end of the tunnel,” says Ibrahimi.
Except for financial support, the Municipality of Vitia has also ensured Olympic scholarships for Urata, Lumturije and Drilon. In February 2017, the Municipality of Vitia and the Olympic Committee of Kosovo signed a memorandum of cooperation to financially support sportspeople from Vitia who meet the Olympic criteria.
With the creation of the club “Anamorava,” these three shooters are aiming for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Trëndelinë Haliti
