Ilham Zakiyev, the two-time Paralympic champion of Azerbaijan, self-published the books he authored.
The para-judoka stated this in an interview with "Report".
He believes that sharing his experience will be beneficial for Azerbaijani sports:
"I am currently a doctoral student at the Azerbaijan Sports Academy. I have already passed the second year. I have represented our country 6 times at the Summer Paralympic Games. I brought gold medals from Athens and Beijing, and bronze medals from London, Tokyo, and Paris. I have been a world champion three times and a European champion eight times. I think that if I share my experience, the younger generation and Azerbaijani sports will benefit from it."
The athlete noted that the books were printed in a total of 500 copies:
"I published the books at my own expense. Only 500 copies were printed, and they will not be sold. They will be distributed to sports schools and federations. We will also conduct a survey among coaches. It won't just be judo here. Coaches from other sports will also express their opinions. We will use the answers to the survey in future scientific works."
He said he plans to publish another book:
"We are planning to prepare another book. The format will be a little broader. But I don't want to comment on this, let it remain a secret. I have not finished my sports career. I am preparing for the European Championship to be held in September. I couldn't prepare with my full strength because I was injured. I missed the World Championship held in May. I engaged in scientific work to spend my time efficiently. Although I have not fully recovered, I continue training. I thank my scientific advisor, Professor Dilgam Guliyev, and the management of the Azerbaijan Sports Academy for their support."
It should be noted that I. Zakiyev's methodological manual "Organization of training camps" and methodological guide "Coach's code of ethics" have been published.