Inside, 26 judo practitioners, or judokas, dressed in blue or white uniforms arranged themselves in pairs around the blue-and-yellow mat. The flags of Kosovo and Japan hung above a mirrored wall clouded in condensation. An old wood stove smoked heavily; it was fed periodically by a young girl to keep the biting December cold at bay. When the fuel stopped, the mirrors cleared as the cold encroached like an unwelcome guest.
The 26 boys and girls bowed and gripped their opponents. “Hajime!” shouted Driton Kuka, the 42-year-old coach of Kosovo’s national judo squad.
It was just another day of training in the school, but Kosovar athletes soon welcomed a new day altogether. Twenty-four hours later, on Dec. 9, the International Olympic Committee voted to admit Kosovo as a full member, granting the region’s athletes the right to compete as an independent team in international competitions.
