Idman.biz
"We consider the result achieved by the Azerbaijani team at the Olympic Festival to be satisfactory. But we think that the result could have been even better."
Idman.biz reports that these words were said by Hasanağa Rzayev, the head of the Sports Department of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), in his statement to AZERTAC, while evaluating the performances of Azerbaijani athletes who finished the XVIII European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) held in Skopje, Kumanovo, North Macedonia, and Osijek, Croatia, with 10 medals (3 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze).
According to him, the Azerbaijani team has had even better results at EYOF so far: "In 2007, we won 7 gold medals in Belgrade. Four of them were won in judo, and three in athletics competitions. Judo is considered a support sport for us. Our best results at EYOF have always been in judo. Compared to previous years, our shooters also performed successfully this time. Our gymnasts also showed themselves in a good light. Despite reaching the finals, they could not be among the prize winners due to injury and other reasons."
The NOC official stated that the successes at EYOF are important for young athletes in terms of achieving their Olympic goals: "I would like to specifically emphasize the Olympic values of friendship, respect, and solidarity. Thanks to such tournaments, athletes are instilled with these values from a young age. Athletes stay in the village, communicate with many athletes. They see that the atmosphere is completely different. New friendships, good relationships are formed, and connections are expanded. They also gain great experience with this. Such tournaments create conditions for our young athletes to participate more freely and confidently in the Olympics in the future.".
It should be noted that more than 4,000 athletes aged 14-18 from 50 European countries competed in 15 sports in "Skopje-2025". At the festival, the Azerbaijani team was represented by 52 athletes (28 boys, 24 girls) in a total of 10 sports.
Idman.biz
