Today, the second part of the large delegation of the Azerbaijan team, in which only athletes, went to the games of Islamic solidarity in the Turkish horse. Youth and Sports Minister Farid Gaibov also flew to games today. He shared his expectations from Islamiad with media representatives.
“First of all, I would like to wish everyone good luck,” the minister says in an interview with journalists. “I would like to note that the Azerbaijani delegation is the second largest after the owners – Turkey. Among 56 countries. We are proud of this fact. And we are proud of this fact. And we are proud of this fact. And This shows that there is sport in Azerbaijan, and it is developing.
We are presented in 22 sports from 24. There are some points that I would like to note. They relate to changes in comparison with the games of 2017 that have been held in Baku. There are certain changes in sports. In addition, some teams will bring stronger compositions. In particular, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, who, because of the Asian games, did not bring all the best to Baku.
The composition of our team will not have some first numbers. This applies to the struggle, judo and football. In the struggle and judo, the teams are preparing for the world championships, and in football “Karabakh” and “Neftech” perform in European competitions.
The mood is excellent. Athletes are well ready. I would like to note that the number of legionnaires in all sports has decreased. This suggests that their own pupils appear in a number of sports. Yes, we will not be able to fight for gold medals in all disciplines. But I am grateful to all federations. They seriously approached the matter. Thanks to everyone who is involved in preparation.
The head of state and the first ladies are always interested in the training of athletes and give their instructions. All conditions have been created on the part of the state. I believe that there will be good results.
I also want to say that we first brought so many media representatives to the games. This is done so that our fans are aware of all events.
As for the goals set, it is now difficult to say how much we will conquer medals. I believe that our athletes will be able to wage a decent struggle with the strongest teams – with Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and others. Interesting games await us. “
The opening ceremony of Islamiad will take place tomorrow. The banners of the national team of Azerbaijan will be the wrestler of Haji Aliyev, the athlete Nazim Babaev and volleyball player Aishan Abdulazimov. The 3-time world and European champion, the 2-time medalist of the Olympiad Haji Aliyev will carry a sign with the inscription “Azerbaijan”. European champion Nazim Babaev, as well as the holder of the Cup Challenge Aishan Abdulazimov will carry the flag of Azerbaijan.