WORLD CUP ZERO

The World Taekwondo Championship held in Baku on May 29-June 4 was attended by athletes from 145 countries. Unfortunately, the grand event remembered for its intense competition was not a success for the Azerbaijani national team. The Azerbaijan Taekwondo Federation represented in the tournament by 13 athletes failed to get a single medal even at home.

Worst result

A total of 949 athletes competed for 16 sets of medals at the World Cup. As a result, Azerbaijani representatives were among the teams left without medals. Such a weak performance by the team of head coach Reza Mehmandost at the World Championship in Baku requires serious pondering. Surprisingly, the only biggest success of our athletes was the qualification for the quarter-finals. Obviously, they failed to make it to semi-finals and finals. So far, this is the second world championship since 2001, when the Azerbaijani team was left without medals. The first one was in Madrid. But then Azerbaijan did not have a chance to be represented by so many athletes.

The main reason for the national team's unsuccessful performance is the lack of competition and the lack of a new generation of athletes. By the way, a few years ago the first world taekwondo champion in the CIS was an Azerbaijani athlete. Niyameddin Pashayev's historic victory at the tournament was then followed by subsequent gold medals of world cups brought to Azerbaijan by Radik Isayev and Milad Beigi Kharchegani. But later Azerbaijan did not have taekwondokas of the same level. The federation tried to solve the problem by inviting foreign athletes. As the focus turned to legionnaires, local athletes were left out. Meanwhile, specialists who had trained Niyameddin Pashayev also left.

Even before the world cup, we received unpleasant news from the national taekwondo team. Radik Isayev and Milad Beigi Kharchegani left the main team, which seriously weakened the national team. Moreover, relations between the athletes and foreign coaches got worse.

Problems in the national team

Azerbaijan Taekwondo Federation has repeatedly made the headlines due to its unprofessional decisions since the Tokyo Olympic Games. Last year, head coach Reza Mehmandost was secretly fired because of athletes who did not want to work with him. A month after announcing his resignation, Mehmandost was reinstated to the national team. For many years, the federation relied on foreign coaches and made no attempt to train not only worthy domestic athletes but also own training specialists.

At the World Cup, the Azerbaijani taekwondokas demonstrated that they were weaker than their opponents not only technically, but also tactically. The results of the tournament show that the national team is not ready for competitions of this level. Without Radik Isayev and Milad Beigi Kharchegani, they have slip hopes to win medals. Two-time World Cup winner Farida Azizova, Olympic medallist Patimat Abakarova and World Cup bronze medallist Javad Aghayev performed below their level. Athletes who tactically lost to their rivals also showed a psychological failure. The athletes made it clear that a year before the Paris Olympic Games we should not reply on them.

Unfortunately, the way out of the crisis in the Azerbaijani taekwondo does not appear to be an easy one. The issue should be seriously considered by the federation and the coaching staff. The licensing tournaments will start in a few months. And we should admit that our taekwondokas have little, if any, chance of getting a license.

Another reason behind the World Cup fiasco was the unprofessional approach of head coach Reza Mehmandost to his job after the pandemic. How can a coach, who constantly argues and does not get along with athletes, be successful in his job? It is therefore unlikely that a specialist with tense relations with athletes from the national team can rectify the situation in the shortest possible time. The federation should have rectified the situation in the national team long ago, holding the coaching staff accountable for the failures of taekwondokas. Otherwise, the crisis can worsen and the consequences become irreversible for a long time.

Before the licensing tournaments

First and foremost, it is important that the athletes prepare seriously for the licensing competitions. The main goal must be the Paris Summer Olympic Games. On the other hand, now is not the right time for reforms. Athletes are inexperienced and young to take on such responsibility.

Before the licensing competitions, the Azerbaijan Taekwondo Federation needs to analyse the situation in the national team and clarify what the coaching staff should do in the future. It is still possible to rely on local specialists in case of Reza Mehmandost's dismissal. The national team should be adequately prepared for prestigious competitions, even with the dimmest expectations from the Paris Olympics.

By the way, President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, visited Baku during the World Cup and inquired about the competitions. He praised the organisation of the World Cup. Before the competition, Mr. Bach also met with the refugee team (a team of athletes not representing any country) participating in the World Cup.