POSTED: January 19th 2012

NewsUpdate

Baku gets boost by new 2012 Year of Sports in Azerbaijan

President Ilham Aliyev met with his cabinet to discuss priorities for 2012 / President of Azerbaijan

LAURA WALDEN in INNSBRUCK / Sports Features Communications

INNSBRUCK: The Baku 2020 Olympic bid received a boost of inspiration as President Ilham Aliyev declared 2012 an official ‘Year of Sports’ to give a lift to the athletes’ preparations for the London Olympics as well as add an impetus to the campaign.

The initiative is also aimed to get more youth involved in sport and to promote wellness around the country. Aliyev is also the head of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Azerbaijan.

President Aliyev said, “The fact that Azerbaijan has hosted world championships in wrestling, boxing and rhythmic gymnastics, and that we are preparing to host Women's Football World Cup in 2012, and also bidding to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games is evidence that Azerbaijan is fast becoming an international sports events destination.”

Part of the plan will be to develop an action plan and the Ministry of Youth and Sport is working on this already and it would include additional sports complexes to be built around the country. Recently more than 30 sports complexes have been built in the major cities and towns.

Azad Rahimov, Minister for Youth and Sport, said: “Sport is deeply rooted in Azerbaijani culture to the extent that sport is a very common theme in many of the nation’s major literary epics and poems.

“In Azerbaijan, we believe passionately in the transformative powers of sport and in particular the Olympic and Paralympic values of respect, excellence, friendship, courage, determination, inspiration and equality. These are truly nation-building values – and if we are chosen as the 2020 Host City, together we can extend these Olympic ideals to millions of new hearts and minds in Azerbaijan, embracing the spirit of unity so inherent in the Olympic Movement.”

The President also noted that in the two decades since the independence to date Azeri athletes have earned more than 5,000 medals at different international events and these include four Olympic gold medals, three silver and nine bronzes.

Baku is running against Doha, Istanbul, Madrid, Rome and Tokyo for the 2020 summer Games. The final decision will be taken September 7, 2013 at the IOC session in Buenos Aires.

Keywords · Baku · Ilham Aliyev · Azad Rahimov

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