STO Leposavic employees still denied access to sports hall: "We won’t give up, the children are our main motivation"

Employees of the Sports and Tourism Organization (STO) in Leposavic were once again unable to enter the sports hall today. The gates remained locked, with several Kosovo police officers guarding the premises along with three vehicles—two patrol cars and one jeep.

According to the workers, the situation is further complicated by the complete lack of official communication or explanation—neither regarding the reasons for the blockade nor the reported replacement of the facility’s management.

Marko Radosavljevic, Director of STO Leposavic, emphasized that the hall was taken over by force and that no document was presented to justify the presence of new individuals at the facility.

The workers insist they are still officially employed and are preparing to launch legal action.

“When we asked the police commander why they’re here, whether someone felt threatened, there was no answer. We asked on what basis these new people are there—are they newly appointed? The questions just kept going in circles, with no concrete answers except that we are not allowed to enter, either as citizens or as employees. I can’t call us former employees, because we’re not. We are current employees and we’re not giving up. We’ll keep pushing in the days ahead. We’ll demand answers, a legal review of all these actions, and then decide what to do next. They say the facility belongs to the state of Kosovo, and that this is their basis for being here,” Radosavljevic explained.

He added that special focus should be placed on the children whose sports activities have been interrupted.

“Our main motivation is for the children to continue with sports. Of course, we also want to fight for our rights along the way. This morning the gates were closed at 8:00 a.m., which is when training was supposed to start according to the old schedule. But the gates were locked and there was no notice posted anywhere. How is anything supposed to be scheduled now? We heard from the commander that if we have a usage contract for the hall, we can enter as recreational users. But what contracts, and with whom are they to be signed? Honestly, there’s no answer to that either,” the director said.

Radosavljevic also stressed that no public job competition had been announced for new positions.

“Marina said in a couple of media statements that these competitions were held three months ago, so everything she said about us being able to apply now is meaningless—if something was announced secretly three months ago, then clearly the intention was to bring in other people. Whether they are more suitable, more competent, or whether there’s another reason, I don’t know,” the director explained.

He emphasized that children missing out on sports activities could lead to greater discontent among the local population.

“We’ve asked for representatives of the new management, if there are any, to speak to us. But apparently, that’s being kept secret. We wanted someone to address us. The commander said we should talk to the municipality, but we haven’t gone there—we’re unsure whether we even should, given the obvious use of force. If this break in children’s training continues, it could lead to broader dissatisfaction in society, and hopefully someone will recognize that and respond. I appeal to all those who can influence this situation to resolve it as soon as possible,” Radosavljevic urged.

He also appealed to relevant institutions.

“If someone thinks we’ll just give up our jobs after so many years and go home without work or pay—they’re wrong. Someone will have to see this, even if we have to stand here for days or years. We’ll see what happens. We’re trying to stay positive. We’re hoping the kids will get back to training. The weather is improving, and I see some are using outdoor spaces, but I really hope this gets resolved. It’s time, as they say, for some people to put their finger to their forehead and realize how this has to work,” Radosavljevic concluded.