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 | | Sport in Azerbaijan: Transformation to a National Idea |
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| By Zeki Feyzullayev |
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Sport in Azerbaijan is gradually approaching a new level. The achievements of Olympic freestyle wrestling champion Namig Abdullayev and world weightlifting champion Nizami Pashayev, for example, demonstrate that these kinds of sports can bereal professions. Today, Azerbaijan's success in sport is considered in light of the National OlympicCommittee's activities. Under the leadership of its president, Ilham Aliyev,who simultaneously holds the position of vice-president of SOCAR, the NOC hasraised sport to a new professional level. Sportsmen's hard work is highlyvalued by the state they are provided with flats and money prizes. Moreover,according to a recently issued government order, the most distinguishedathletes will receive annual payments from the State Treasury.
The Olympic Games provide the grounds where you can makeyour country famous. Azerbaijan is becoming a full-fledged member of the Olympics, and now one cannot imagine any Olympics - summer or winter - without Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is eager to fight for medals and to win them. The country's athletes demonstrated this will to win during the Olympic Games inSydney. There, Zempfira Meftahetdinova won the gold medal for skeet shooting,and freestyle wrestler Namig Abdullayev secured the title of Olympic Champion.Another important Azerbaijani athlete is the boxer Vugar Alekperov, whose namebecame famous after the Games in Australia.
Signs of Olympic life are sprouting throughout Azerbaijan. In Baku, Ganja and Nakhchivan, modern Olympic complexes have been built and are ranked as the bestin the entire CIS. Furthermore, such facilities are currently being constructedin Barda, Lenkeran and Guba, and the more distant parts of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani ministers have also become more sport-oriented and are now heading differentsports federations. For example, Minister of Transportation Ziya Mamedov leadsthe volleyball federation, while Minister of Tax Fazil Mamedov heads thefield-hockey federation.
Ilham Aliyev himself is an avid fan. This was clear when he attended Europeanvolleyball tournaments where Azerbaijan's national women's volleyball club AzerReil participated. At the end of every match, he personally congratulatedthe women if they had won, and he found words for consolation if they had lost.Moreover, it was at his initiative that the former USSR's famous basketballplayer, Olympic champion Rimas Kurtinaitis, to came to Baku. Now the legendarysportsman trains Azerbaijan's national team, which could soon lead to futurevictories.
AzerReil trainer Faig Garayev recently mentioned that it was partly due to Ilham Aliyev's efforts that the final matches of the Top-Teams' Cup took place inBaku. Now more attention is being paid both to sportsmen themselves and totheir training conditions. Over the last several years, different European andworld championships such as boxing competitions, the Continent Championshipin bodybuilding, the abovementioned Top-Teams' Cup and the handball tournament Challenge Trophy have taken place in Baku.
The European wrestler competition was very successful and, according to observers,one of the best in its history. The head of the International PowerliftingFederation, Tomash Ayan, who recently visited Baku, said that if he had knownabout Baku's wonderful conditions for holding competitions, the city would haveheld the championship much earlier.
The rising popularity of sport in Azerbaijan is the one of the most importantincentives for its future development. Many sportsmen in Azerbaijan have earnedtheir place among great world athletes. Examples include twice-European judochampion, Elchin Ismailov; continental champion in weight lifting, NizamiPashayev; world champion in taekwondo, Niyametdin Pashayev; and the youngestchess grand master, Teymur Radjabov. These are not only names; they representperspective, promising youth and the future of a healthy Azerbaijan. Everyyear, their achievements and victories make their country happy.
When Azerbaijani teams participate in various competitions, they are after oneobjective: to raise their nation's flag higher. All Azerbaijani athletes dreamof standing on the top stage of the pedestal, hearing his national anthem andmaking his country famous all over the world. The success of Azerbaijan'sOlympic team in Sydney filled the nation's people with happiness and a deepsense of pride for their athletes and for their country.
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