Assoc. Prof. Dr. Arben Maliqi was born on October 30, 1967, in the village of Kosaqë, municipality of Gjilan, to parents Fehmi and Fahrije. He completed his elementary education at “Skenderbeu” Elementary School in Përlepnicë, Gjilan (grades I and II), and continued at “Selami Hallaçi” Elementary School in Gjilan during the 1981/82 academic year. He completed his secondary education, years I and II at QAMO, and later years III and IV at “Zenel Hajdini” Gymnasium in Gjilan, in the Technical Biology Laboratory direction, in the school year 1985-86.
As a youth, he engaged in various sports such as football, athletics, volleyball, ping pong, etc. In 1978, he was an active pioneer footballer with “Crvena Zvezda” Football Club in Gjilan, and later represented Kosovo as a pioneer player in Koper-Izola, from April 29 to May 2, 1984, continuing his career through the junior and senior categories.
In the year 1985/1986, he was an active footballer with “Drita” Football Club in Gjilan. In the academic year 1986/1987, he enrolled at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports in Prishtina, after which he completed his mandatory military service. During his military service, he participated in many sports activities as a distinguished footballer and athlete.
During his studies, he was an active player with “Flamurtari” Football Club from Prishtina and later returned to play again for “Drita” Football Club. In 1995, he co-founded and played for “SC Gjilani” Football Club. He also founded the Ski Club “Gjilani” in Gjilan in 1996, where he also served as a delegate in the Kosovo Ski Federation.
Prof. Arben Maliqi was the first coach of the Volleyball Club “Drita” in Gjilan, who were crowned champions of the Republic of Kosovo in 1998. In addition to these engagements, he also coached the cadets of the “SC Gjilani” Football Club in 2002.
From 1989 to 2020, he was the owner of the cafeteria “The Legend”, working in the field of gastronomy. On November 24, 1994, he was employed at the “Marin Barleti” Secondary Economic School in Gjilan, where he is still teaching.
In the academic year 1987/88, after his military service, he continued his studies at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports in Prishtina. He graduated with distinction on December 27, 1993, with a thesis titled “Implementation of the curriculum in volleyball subject in elementary school”, earning the title Professor of Physical Education and Sports.
He enrolled in postgraduate studies and completed them at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports at the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, where on June 10, 2009, he earned the title Master of Sports Sciences with the thesis: “Changes in some anthropometric-motor characteristics and some situational tests among female volleyball players of the Kosovo Super League”.
Demonstrating continuous interest in professional development and deepening his knowledge in sports sciences, particularly in football, Prof. Arben Maliqi registered for doctoral studies in January 2011 at the University of Sarajevo. On December 15, 2014, he successfully defended his PhD dissertation at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports at the University of Sarajevo before a professional committee: Prof. Dr. Midhat Mekić (Chair), Prof. Dr. Munir Talović (Mentor), and committee members Prof. Dr. Goran Sporiš, Prof. Dr. Nusret Smajlović, and Prof. Dr. Haris Alić. The dissertation was titled: “Effects of situational method to improve morphological features, basic-motor and situational-motor skills and success in the football game” and consists of 305 pages, deposited in the university library of the University of Sarajevo.
Throughout his career at AAB College, in the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, he initially served as a lecturer in 2016, then advanced to the title of Assistant Professor in 2017, and in 2024 was promoted to Associate Professor in Athletics. Since joining AAB College, he has lectured several courses in the Bachelor Program:
Athletics
Nutrition in Sports
Stimulant Tools
Sociology of Sport
Sport and Diet – Bachelor: Faculty of Radiology
And in the Master Program, he lectures:
Advanced aspects of didactics
Leadership strategies in individual sports (Athletics)
He is also:
Program Leader of the Bachelor program in the Accreditation Agency
Program Leader of the Bachelor in Physical Education and Sport, AAB College, Prishtina (2017–2021)
Program Leader of the Bachelor program, AAB College, Prishtina (2021–2025)
From 2016 to 2020, he was also a lecturer at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, University of “Hasan Prishtina”, for the subject: Social Issues in Sport and Physical Education (Master Level).
Master Supervisor:
He has supervised over 23 Master’s candidates in the programs of Physical Education and Sport and Nutrition from 2017 to 2025, with several theses currently in progress. His mentorship focuses on developing research and professional competencies in students, guiding them towards producing work based on scientific standards and contemporary practices in sport and health sciences.
Let’s PLAY Maths – Dissemination and communication on the value of sport-based games for learning mathematics for pupils aged 6–9. A European collaborative Erasmus+ project, in partnership with:
PLAY INTERNATIONAL (France)
ASOCIATIA EDULIFELONG (Romania)
TAKT Skopje (North Macedonia)
AAB College (Kosovo)
Role: Project team member (2025–2027)
Outside of sports, Prof. Arben Maliqi has also been active in politics. He served three terms as a municipal assembly member in Gjilan from 2007 to 2017. He was deputy chair and later acting chair of the AKR political branch in Gjilan. He also served three terms as a member of the Committee for Policy and Finance (two with AKR and one with LDK). Moreover, he was a member of the committee for education, culture, youth and sports, and for cadastre and geodesy. For five years before and ten years after the war, he served as a member and chair of the commission for selecting athletes in the municipality of Gjilan.
He has participated in various local and international seminars in Turkey, Zagreb, Poreč (Croatia), etc. From 2011 to 2018, he was a Lecturer and Educator at OESK in Prishtina. In addition to his daily responsibilities at “Marin Barleti” secondary school, he also worked two years at “Don Bosko” College in Gjilan. He continues his research and academic work at AAB College, engaging in both national and international scholarly publications.
Prof. Maliqi is the author or co-author of over 21 scientific papers published in international journals and conferences. His research focuses on:
Motor skills structure analysis
Effects of physical activity on health
Anthropometric and biomechanical comparisons
Advanced studies in the development of team and individual sports
Sports nutrition
(Complete list of publications is retained as in your source text.)
Prof. Maliqi has participated in numerous regional and international scientific conferences, including:
Co-organizer of the International Conference “Artificial Intelligence in the Age of Transformation: Opportunities and Challenges”, AAB College, Prishtina, Kosovo (May 13, 2025)
Co-organizer of the 10th International Balkan Conference in Sport Sciences, University of Tetova (May 7–8, 2025)
17th International Symposium on Sport and Health, University of Tuzla (November 29, 2024)
9th, 8th International Balkan Conferences (2024, 2023 – Tetova)
Multiple conferences in Tuzla, Varna, Sarajevo, Podgorica, Sofia, and others
He has participated in a variety of seminars, such as:
First International Football Seminar, Prishtina (July 21, 2002)
Seminar on didactics and methodology for professional high school teachers, Gjilan (July 23, 2004)
Seminar on drug prevention, Gjilan (October 16, 2004)
Seminar on professional didactics, Gjilan (May 25, 2008)
Seminar “Sport for All” on club development (May 22–23, 2010)
Seminar “Leadership in Sport”, Sharr (April 20, 2014)
100-hour professional development seminar for physical education teachers, Prishtina (June 1, 2014)
Prof. Arben Maliqi currently resides in Gjilan with his wife and their four children.