On International Children's Day, Taleh Mammadov, a well-known former wrestler and currently the head coach of the Azerbaijani national Greco-Roman wrestling team under 15, congratulated the growing generation.
"May God protect all children. Children are our future. When they grow up, the state will rely on them. I wish them success in life, sports, education and all fields of activity, regardless of the profession or path they choose," he said in an interview with Idman.Biz.
Taleh Mammadov also shared under what conditions and principles the new generation of athletes is being raised today:
"The wrestling system is built in such a way that it is truly in reliable hands, both by the management and the coaches. As the head coach of the under-15 team, I try to explain to the children the rules of discipline and order. I also explain how great athletes are formed and raised. I believe that in a few years these children will wave our flag in major international arenas and win numerous medals for our country."
The coach also commented on the performance of his athletes at the recent U-15 European Championship. According to him, the wrestlers performed well, although there is still room for improvement:
"I was satisfied with some aspects, and not so much with others. As you know, I was recently appointed to this position. But together with the coaching staff, we are doing our best and working even harder to ensure that our children grow up healthy, are injury-free and in good shape, and then achieve high results.
This year our children also performed quite well. Seven of them fought for a medal and many ended up in fifth place. However, two gold medals are also a success. Our main goal is to increase the number of gold medals. I hope that the team will perform better next year."