HEADING TO BUENOS AIRES

This year Buenos Aires will be the host of the 3^rd Youth Olympic Games established by the International Olympic Committee eight years ago. The first event took place in Singapore, the second - in the Chinese city of Nanjing, and the organisation of the current session is entrusted to Argentina.  Azerbaijan will also take part in the event scheduled for October 2018 with 17 athletes that will compete in 9 fields of sports.

Fatima Alkerimova will represent Azerbaijan in all kinds of swimming competitions. Currently, the young swimmer is at finishing her training at the camp. Specialists believe that the performance of the Azerbaijani athlete, regardless of the result, will help to popularise professional swimming among the youth.

Ning Zhong and Yuu Hinhang will compete for Azerbaijan in table tennis. With a wide experience at various continental junior tournaments, they are considered as candidates for Olympic medals. However, considering that the competition in Buenos Aires will be extremely hard, it is rather difficult to predict the results of tennis players.

Two athletes will represent Azerbaijan in taekwondo: Minaya Akberova (44 kg) and Javid Aghayev (63 kg). Both athletes have completed two-month training and are almost ready for the biggest competition in their sports career.

As always, Azerbaijani national team expects medals in all boxing competitions, which will be represented by two athletes Nurlan Safarov (60 kg) and Nijat Hasanov (69 kg). They are prize winners of international tournaments and are considered real candidates for Olympic medals

Freestyle wrestlers Turan Bayramov (65 kg) and Shahane Nazarova (43 kg) will also represent Azerbaijan in the Youth Olympic Games. Both colleagues and experts especially count on Turan Bayramov's success in the competition.

Azerbaijan has the maximum number of licenses in gymnastics. At the Youth Olympic Games, only two athletes can represent each country. In Buenos Aires, these will be Elizabeth Luzan and Samad Mammadli. Our athletes have already completed training and will travel to Argentina in the first days of October.

In judo, Vusal Karimov (44 kg) and Vugar Talibov (66 kg) will defend the honour of Azerbaijani sport. In Buenos Aires, Vugar Talibov can achieve the greatest success in his sports career. His chances are indeed quite high.

In weightlifting, Tamerkhan Babayev (85 kg) and Lala Rzazadeh (58 kg) will compete. Rustam Mammadov and Fakhriya Taghizade will compete for the medal in athletics.

In fact, Azerbaijani athletes won 12 licenses for the First Summer Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore in 2010. Gold medalists of that tournament were our wrestlers Murad Bazarov, Elman Mukhtarov, Ali Magomedov, Patimat Bagomedova and Nijat Rahimov. Three more athletes, Kanan Guliyev, Elvin Isayev and Salman Alizadeh became the second best.

At the II Games held in 2014 in Nanjing, Azerbaijan was represented by 24 athletes. Wrestlers Islambek Dadov, Teymur Mammadov and Igbal Hajizade, taekwondoka Said Guliyev and boxer Rufat Huseynov took the first place. Six athletes from Azerbaijan took the silver medals, and one athlete a bronze medal.

"Azerbaijan will take 17 athletes to Buenos Aires. This is less than in Nanjing. There we were represented by 21 athletes plus three athletes in the Wushu competitions. We had to reduce the number of athletes in the national team because of the growing competition. The Youth Games have become very popular, and it is more difficult to get qualified. Also, the rules are almost the same as in the Olympic competitions for adults," Mehman Kerimov, the head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the 3^rd Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Marketing Director of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), said.

Mr. Kerimov noted that for the first time Azerbaijan would be represented at the Youth Games in table tennis and gymnastics.

The opening of the Olympic Village is scheduled for October 2. On the same day, the flag bearing ceremony will be held in Buenos Aires. The opening ceremony will take place on the central square of Buenos Aires. It is the first time that the tickets for the Games are not for sale. After registration, local residents, as well as guests will be able to watch the competitions free of charge. The NOC of Azerbaijan will regularly provide information in social networks on the progress of competitions.

The 3^rd Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held on October 6-18.