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MAKING GOLDEN MEMORIESOLYMPIC SOLIDARITY SCHOLARSHIP HOLDERS ENJOYED RECORD-BREAKING RESULTS AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES RIO 2016 WITH MORE THAN 100 ATHLETES WINNING MEDALS, INCLUDING 33 GOLDS, BEARING WITNESS TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAMME Of all the 306 gold medals won at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, few could have carried more historical significance than Majlinda Kelmendi’s triumph on the judo mat. When the 25-year-old judoka overpowered Italy’s Odette Giuffrida in the final of the women’s -52kg event, she became the first-ever athlete representing Kosovo to win gold, or indeed an Olympic medal of any colour. The victory sparked mass celebrations in her home country, which was making its first appearance at the Games almost two years after being granted full recognition as a National Olympic Committee (NOC) in December 2014.“It was a very special moment for all of us – not just for me, not just for sport, but for all of Kosovo,” Kelmendi told Olympic Review. “This medal gave a big hope to the young generation. My dream came true.”And for Kelmendi, like so many other athletes at Rio 2016, one of the key factors behind her success was the support of the Olympic Solidarity scholarship programme. Since the concept was first developed in the 1960s, Olympic Solidarity has helped NOCs and athletes – in particular those who have the greatest need – to perform at the highest level through funding, access to facilities and other means of support.At Rio 2016, this support resulted in record numbers of NOCs and athletes competing at the Games. In the years leading up to the Games, Olympic Solidarity allocated a total of 1,547 individual scholarships to 185 NOCs in 22 sports. Of these, a record 815 individual athletes from 171 NOCs and 20 teams participated at Rio 2016.“When you go to the Olympic Games, you need a lot of support, so it helped me a lot,” revealed Kelmendi, who first started competing at judo when she was eight years old. “Kosovo is a country with a lot of problems and it is hard to get financial help, so it was a really good support for me.“I am not the only athlete in the world who has these kinds of problems, so programmes like Olympic Solidarity are very welcome for all of us. It is really special to be part of this big group because we showed to the world that even though we have many problems in our country we can still win and become Olympic champions.”And at Rio 2016, there was certainly no shortage of Olympic Solidarity champions. Four years after 76 athletes won individual medals at the Olympic Games London 2012, a staggering 101 athletes were on the podium in Rio – 33 of them winning gold. There were also eight medals won in team events, including four golds. Star performers included taekwondo champion Cheick Sallah Cissé, who won Ivory Coast’s first-ever gold medal, triple jumper Caterine Ibargüen – the first Colombian to top the podium in any athletics event – and PicturedMajlinda Kelmendi was one of 101 Olympic Solidarity athletes to win an individual medal at Rio 2016 Dmitriy Balandin from Kazakhstan, who stunned a star-studded field in the 200m breaststroke to claim his country’s first gold in the pool. There was another notable first, meanwhile, at the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Valent Sinković and his brother Martin stormed to victory in the men’s double sculls, making history as the first Croatian rowers to claim Olympic gold. For Valent, it was even more special to achieve such a feat alongside his brother.“It was overwhelming – it truly was! I felt privileged by the mere fact that I had been given an opportunity to represent my country at such a glorious event like the Olympic Games,” he said. “Being – along with my brother, of course – the first person in my country’s history to win a rowing gold medal filled me with immense pride and a wonderful sense of accomplishment.”As with Kelmendi, Sinković is indebted to the assistance he received from Olympic Solidarity in helping him fulfil his dream.“When I first started rowing, I didn’t even dream I would have an opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games. The idea of winning an Olympic medal seemed like an unattainable dream,” he admitted. “Olympic Solidarity helped me overcome financial and material difficulties and prepare better for the ‘IT WAS A VERY SPECIAL MOMENT FOR ALL OF US – NOT JUST FOR ME, NOT JUST FOR SPORT, BUT FOR ALL OF KOSOVO. THIS MEDAL GAVE A BIG HOPE TO THE YOUNG GENERATION’MAJLINDA KELMENDI (KOSOVO)OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY64 OLYMPIC REVIEW