Vafa Musayeva: As a Sports Ambassador, My Goal is to Pave the Way for Society

"If my activity as a sports ambassador creates a positive change in the life of even one person, I will consider it my greatest success."

Idman.Biz reports that these words were said by Azerbaijani alpinist Vafa Musayeva while talking about being selected as a sports ambassador for 2026.

She told AZERTAC that this title is not just a name for her, but a great responsibility: "Mountaineering is a field where a person exceeds their limits not only physically, but also psychologically and emotionally. Being selected as a "Sports Ambassador" as a representative of this field means that I must now pave the way not only for my own peaks, but also for society. This is also a message for me that even the most difficult-looking paths can be taken step by step. If I could do it, then others can too."

The alpinist noted that it is more important to show people their inner peaks than to conquer summits: "As a sports ambassador, I plan to work more directly with young people. I will interact with them through meetings, trainings, motivation sessions and master classes. At the same time, I want to share real stories on social media, openly showing the difficulties behind success. Because young people should see not only the result, but also the process that leads to this result. My goal is to guide them not only to sports, but also to an active, purposeful and conscious life in general."

Vafa Musayeva emphasized that real stories are of great importance for people to be inspired: "People are more motivated by stories similar to their own. If a woman sees someone like her climbing Mount Everest, this already eliminates the concept of "impossible". However, my goal is not to encourage people to go to the mountains, but to help them find their own way to an active life."

It should be noted that at today's Collegium meeting of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, along with Vafa Musayeva, Ulviyya Fataliyeva (chess), Aynur Yusifova (gymnastics), Dadash Dadashbeyli (weightlifting) and Elchin Asadov (cycling) were selected as "Sports Ambassadors" for 2026.