Deaflympics could be held in Azerbaijan

A meeting was held at the National Olympic Committee (NOC) with the delegation of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) and the European Deaf Sports Organization (EDSO). Sport24.az reports with reference to AZERTAC that the main goal of the meeting was to strengthen the activities of the Azerbaijan Deaflympics Committee, further develop deaf sports, and expand opportunities for cooperation in this area in the future.

The event discussed the support of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf and the European Deaf Sports Organization's experience and resources for the Azerbaijan Deaflympics Movement.

Azer Aliyev, Secretary General of the NOC, first provided detailed information about the activities of the committee and the development of Azerbaijani sports. He spoke about the international competitions hosted by Azerbaijan and the successes achieved at the Olympic Games. Noting that special attention is paid to sports for people with disabilities, he emphasized the successful performance of Azerbaijani athletes at the Paralympic Games. The Secretary General stated that Azerbaijan won 19 medals at the "Tokyo-2020" Summer Paralympic Games and took 10th place with this result.

Azer Aliyev emphasized the difficulties of the Deaflympics Movement, noting that not only physical preparation but also mental preparation is important here. Emphasizing that Azerbaijan has not participated in the Deaflympics Games so far, the Secretary General said that he believes that our country will be successfully represented at the competition to be held in Tokyo this year.

He noted that the Azerbaijan Deaflympics Committee, established in 2023, is very active despite being a new organization. He emphasized that Azerbaijan hosted the I European Games, the IV Islamic Solidarity Games and other multi-sport competitions, and that the proposal to hold the Deaflympics Games in Azerbaijan is very interesting. A. Aliyev stated that the Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee is ready to support this area and noted that this work will be further advanced with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population.

President of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, Adam Kosa, highly appreciated Azerbaijan's attention and support for deaf sports. He said that he is sure that such cooperation will create important opportunities for Azerbaijani Deaflympics athletes to achieve more success in the international arena. Adam Kosa emphasized that he hopes to support Azerbaijan's Deaflympics movement and encourage the holding of European championships and regional competitions in our country.

President of the European Deaf Sports Organization, Iosif Stavrakakis, noted that cooperation with Azerbaijan is very positive and that there are great opportunities for further development of these relations in the future. He said that he hopes that Azerbaijan will participate in the Deaflympics Games as a guest. Iosif Stavrakakis said that about 4,000 athletes will participate in the Deaflympics Games to be held in Tokyo this year in 21 sports, and also noted that 104 countries have registered.

President of the Azerbaijan Deaflympics Committee, Anar Bayramov, gave detailed information about the organization's future plans at the meeting. He noted that holding the Deaflympics competitions in Azerbaijan is an important step and expressed his belief that wider opportunities will be created for the development of this field.

At the end of the meeting, the parties reached agreements on expanding mutual cooperation and establishing closer relations in the future. It was emphasized that such meetings are of great importance in terms of strengthening Azerbaijan's position in the international sports arena and supporting our country's Deaflympics Movement.

Finally, Azer Aliyev presented a special gift from the NOC to Adam Kosa, President of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.