BKCC had the pleasaure of hosting a high level Kosovar Delegation visiting London and help organise their agenda in the City.
The visit was coordinated by John Grogan on behalf of the British Kosovar Chambers of Commerce and assisted by the Chambers Board.
The Kosovo delegation consisted of:
- Blerim Gashani – Minister of Sports and Youth of the Republic of Kosovo – Facebook Profile
- Drilon Brahimi – Senior Political Advisor to the Minister of Sports and Youth of the Republic of Kosovo – LinkedIn
- Perparim Rama – Mayor of Prishtina – (LinkedIn profile)
- Ismet Krasniqi – President of the Olympic Committee of Kosovo – (profile page)
- Agim Maraj – British Embassy Project Manager and Trade Officer – (LinkedIn profile)
The purpose of this visit was to assist with the initial preparations for the 2030 Mediterranean Games, which have been awarded to Kosovo. This multi-sport event will be the biggest ever to take place in Pristina. We are exploring how the UK might assist Kosovo with the organisation and the financing of the games, and the subsequent construction projects, alongside the opportunities that arise from this project.
Below is a more detailed itinerary of the delegation and the details of the events held.
15th April 2026:
10.30 am to 12.30 pm:
Roundtable on 2030 Mediterranean Games at The Private Members Room at the Guildhall Great Hall, with guests from various companies and institutions.
- Alan Rownan, Sports Economy Lead at the Department of Business and Trade (LinkedIn profile)
- Egemen Onen, RCAG (LinkedIn profile)
- Clive Stephens, Chief Growth Officer, Arena Group (LinkedIn profile)
- Andrew Comer (LinkedIn profile)
- James Hamilton, Director – Global Host Cities & Venues, Turner & Townsend (LinkedIn profile)
- Dane O’Donnell, Vice-President, Business and Client Strategy | Sports, RWS Global (LinkedIn profile)
- Jeremy Troughton, Managing Director – Overlay, Arena Group (LinkedIn profile)
- Jonathan Edwards, Partner & National Head of Sport, Rider Levett Bucknall RLB (LinkedIn profile)
- Simon Mason, Director – TpBennett (LinkedIn profile)
- Nick Hirst, Principal Director – TpBennett (LinkedIn profile)
13:30- 14:30:
Meeting with Brendan O’Connor, Board Member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for Kosovo, (LinkedIn profile) at EBRD HQ, Canary Wharf (view location)
15:00- 16:30:
Meeting with UK Sport at 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf (view location), hosted by Senior International Relations Adviser Chris Harvey (LinkedIn profile).
UK Sport is the government agency responsible for investing money sourced from the National Lottery and the UK Government into Olympic and Paralympic sport in the United Kingdom. It is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Their purpose is to lead high-performance sport to enable extraordinary moments that enrich lives.
19:30:
Dinner at KOHA Restaurant (Location map) with the core delegation from Kosovo, members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Albania and Kosovo (APPG), and other attendees. This event was generously sponsored by Shaban Vitija, a friend of the BKCC.
- Martin Vickers MP, Chair of the APPG (Official Website)
- Paul Foster MP (Official Website), Vice-Chair of the APPG for Kosovo & Albania, Chair of the Labour Friends of Kosovo and Western Balkans Parliamentary Group
- Godfrey John Bewicke-Copley (The Lord Cromwell)
- Blerim Gashani – Minister of Sports and Youth of the Republic of Kosovo – Facebook Profile
- Drilon Brahimi – Senior Political Advisor to the Minister of Sports and Youth of the Republic of Kosovo – LinkedIn
- Perparim Rama – Mayor of Pristina – (LinkedIn profile)
- Ismet Krasniqi – President of the Olympic Committee of Kosovo – (profile page)
- Agim Maraj – British Embassy Project Manager and Trade Officer – (LinkedIn profile)
- Artan Llabjani – President of the British-Kosovar Chambers of Commerce – (LinkedIn profile)
- John Grogan – Former MP and Honorary President of the British-Kosovar Chambers of Commerce – (LinkedIn profile)
- Dan Qarkaj – Board Member of the British-Kosovar Chambers of Commerce – (LinkedIn profile)
- Robert Porter – Desk Officer at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for Kosovo – (LinkedIn profile)
- Fadil Maqedonci – Owner of KOHA Restaurant – (LinkedIn profile)
16th of April 2026
Visit the London Aquatics Centre (Location map )
This visit will showcase an iconic building that was repurposed after the 2012 Olympics to be a community pool, but still capable of holding major events. The visit is timed to coincide with morning heats in the UK Swimming Championships. For the rest of the day, the London Legacy Development Corporation will be our hosts on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (Location map), showing the delegation how London made the most of the legacy of the 2012 Olympics.
Evening
Presentation and Drinks Reception with the British-Kosovar Chambers of Commerce (BKCC)
Attendees: Approximately 50
Venue: The Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in the UK (TBC) – Embassy Location.