The team of athletes that represented Albania at the "Paris 2024 Olympic Games" returned to their homeland. The 8 athletes were welcomed with a ceremony in Rinas, while Chermen Valiev and Islam Dudaev were the two heroes of Albania in these Olympic Games. The president of KOKSH, Fidel Ylli, made a statement to the media, where he stated that footballers are the foundation to build a future for Albanian sports and the government should pay more attention to them.
"An important day for Albanian sport as we have entered the list, this is thanks to our two extraordinary opportunities that made us proud that in the arena of Paris they raised the Albanian flag, which we all dreamed from the beginning, that it would go to the highest peaks of world sport. We all worked together with the municipality of Tirana, the ministry, the wrestling federation. These athletes are cornerstones to build a future for Albanian sports, to give signals to the government that needs more attention that they are the best ambassadors of Albania". said Ylli.
While the two wrestlers say that Albania will be in their hearts and that they intend to bring the gold medal for our country.
"Thank you Albania, I have it in my heart", Valiev said.
"I am very happy, God willing next time gold medal for Albania", Dudaev said.
Valiev won on 10 August, giving Albania its first ever Olympic medal, while Dudaev secured its second bronze medal after winning on 11 August. Albania finally ranked among the teams that have secured medals in an Olympics and made it possible to rank outside the usual list of "dignified participation" where it was usually ranked. Thanks to the two bronze medals, Albania finds itself in 80th place in the overall classification, with as many medals as Grenada, Malaysia and Puerto Rico.