A troubling incident at the European Kids Taekwondo Championships in Tirana has led to the six-month suspension of Kosovo taekwondo coach Valmir Fetiu. The European Taekwondo Union announced the suspension today after Fetiu was caught on camera slapping his eight-year-old daughter, who is also one of his athletes, following her defeat by a Serbian competitor.
The video, which quickly went viral on Sunday, shows Fetiu pulling his daughter by her helmet and slapping her as she approached him tearfully after her match.
In response, European Taekwondo Union’s supervisory committee deemed Fetiu’s actions “physically aggressive” and suspended him from all international and domestic taekwondo activities for six months, Koha reports. Although the official statement did not name him explicitly, the incident was widely reported, leading to public outcry.
The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations for Child Protection (KOMF) voiced deep concern, emphasizing that “violence against children is disturbing, unacceptable, and criminalized under the Penal Code.”
KOMF urged authorities to enforce laws addressing child protection, stressing that violence is never an appropriate form of discipline and that it damages a child’s emotional and psychological well-being.
“There is no justification for violence,” KOMF stated on social media. “It should never be used as a disciplinary measure as it harms children’s emotional well-being and psychological development, fostering fear and insecurity instead of respect and confidence.”
The coalition also called on sports federations and clubs to implement specific regulations to protect children and establish internal mechanisms to prevent and respond to child rights violations.
“We have a collective responsibility to ensure that children develop in a safe and caring environment where their fundamental rights are protected,” KOMF emphasized.
In a follow-up interview with Klan Kosova, Fetiu defended his actions, claiming his intent was to “calm” his daughter, who he said was upset over her loss.
“I simply wanted to let her know that despite the loss, she is still the runner-up and that there will be other chances,” he stated.
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