Idman.biz
Azerbaijani bodybuilders are starting the new season. The National Federation has announced that the National Cup will be held on April 26 at the traditional venue, the "Jolly Joker Events Hall".
İdman.Biz reports that a few days later (May 1-4), the national team will compete in the European Championship to be held in Santa Susanna, Spain.
As tradition dictates, great hopes are pinned on the first domestic competition of the season. Because athletes demonstrate that they can achieve success in the international arena with the results they show in domestic competitions.
Rauf Bunyataliyev, president of the Azerbaijan Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, also spoke about this:
"Every athlete who is in the top three in the National Cup or Championship is also among the strongest abroad. The level of our athletes is also highly appreciated by the President of the International Federation, Rafael Santonja. This is of great value, and our task is to maintain this quality and further increase the results."
Rauf Bunyataliyev added that Azerbaijan is already considered one of the main competitors in bodybuilding:
"For competitors, our team is an indicator of quality, they are wary of our athletes. This is both a great achievement and additional motivation for athletes competing under the flag."
In the upcoming National Cup, medals will be contested in classic bodybuilding, "Men"s Physique" (beach bodybuilding), bodyfitness and other categories. At the same time, teenagers will also take the stage, and winners will be determined in absolute categories as well.
Later, the national team will go to Spain and compete for medals at the European Championship. Last year in Santa Susanna, bodybuilders won four gold, two silver and six bronze medals. Ismayil Khabiyev won the absolute championship in bodybuilding, and Hidayat Guluzade in "Muscular Men"s Physique". According to the results of recent years, the team is still among the favorites – two years ago, Azerbaijan took 1st place in the overall team standings at the European Championship.
The European Championship will be the main competition of the first half of the year. Then, from October 1–5, preparations will begin for the World Championship in Ajman, UAE. Thus, for the second year in a row, the World Cup is being held in the Gulf countries – in 2024, the competition took place in Al-Khubar, Saudi Arabia. There, the Azerbaijani "iron men" won three gold, two silver and one bronze medal. Ashur Abdullayev won the absolute championship in the "Men"s Physique" category.
