Idman.biz
"Baku is preparing for the role of World Sports Capital in 2026, hosting major international events, expanding sports infrastructure and increasing participation in elite sports, youth programs and social inclusion initiatives".
Idman.Biz reports that these words were said by the Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov in an interview with Euronews.
The minister said that Baku is strengthening its position on the global sports scene as part of preparations for the status of World Sports Capital in 2026.
"In recent years, we have built more than 200 sports facilities both in the capital and in the regions. We have organized various international events, as well as numerous and multi-sport events in the capital. So, we already have a certain legacy," F.Gayibov emphasized.
The minister said that the well-known "SportAccord" event in the field of sports will be organized in Azerbaijan in May, the largest sports business forum, as well as WADA's European symposiums will be held in Baku in March, and at the same time our country will host the "Formula-1" race and other major sporting events:
"The World Judo Championship and the European Volleyball Championship will be held. We will host the World Sumo Championship, and for the first time in some winter sports, we have organized the European Championship and the final stage of the World Cup".
Touching upon women's participation in sports, the minister stated that their number has increased compared to recent games:
"This is a very good indicator - it is about 40 percent. Our last multi-sport event was the Islamic Solidarity Games held recently in Saudi Arabia. We see that many of our female athletes have won medals. In addition, the number of female sports managers, as well as coaches and referees, is increasing in the sports fields".
F. Gayibov emphasized that one of the main directions in sports is social inclusion: "We also have Special Olympics and Deaflympics, which we support. Azerbaijan recently won its first medal at the Deaflympics".
The Minister of Sports said that Azerbaijan cooperates with many international organizations and that numerous youth forums are organized in our country:
"Various cities have been the youth capital of various organizations. Lankaran was the youth capital of the Turkic states. Shusha was declared the youth capital of the OIC organization, which we organized together with ISESCO. This is a very good experience for our youth, because we see that more and more volunteers apply to our annual events.
Many international organizations see us as a reliable and effective partner. That is why I think that Baku has been declared the World Sports Capital".
