FANTASTIC SCOPE AND INNOVATIVE APPROACH

The meeting of the Coordinating Committee for preparation for the European Olympic Games in 2015 was held in Baku with the participation of the Organising Committee of the European Olympic Committee.

The head the organizing committee of the First European Olympic Games Baku -2015, First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva said that the European Olympics will be the start of a new period in the European sports movement, and Azerbaijan will be the country to write the first page of this history. According to her, the government of Azerbaijan provides full support for the Games, which will be attended by athletes from 49 countries in Europe. 

Pointing out the work carried out after the first session of the Coordination Council for the First European Olympic Games, Mehriban Aliyeva said that the draft schedule for the sports events has been compiled; issues related to the number of officials and athletes who will take part in the competitions and those related to the medals and days of the competition have been looked into. Financial issues have been analyzed and the venues where the sports events will be organized have been listed. "I would like to note once more that the Azerbaijani people value these Games and our country recognizes its responsibility in connection with the conduct of these Games, which will play a tremendous role in the history of the European sport," Aliyeva said.

The president of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), Patrick Hickey highly assessed the preparation work carried out: "The First Olympic Games is a very remarkable event. The Olympics must be distinguished by novelty. Six months ago at the first session we were promised that the Games will be held at a high level. I can see that much has been done over the past period, the progress is visible. I am happy with the course of work".  

He pointed out that he supports the idea of the organizers projecting the Baku Games in a fantastic and innovative fashion and using this as a catalyst for society's media coverage.

The management of the European Olympic Committees was told that in order to prepare for this important event in the international sports life a number of accompanying infrastructure projects will be implemented, such as building a new airport, improving the city's transport system, creating new parks and so on.

The preparations for the European Olympic Games were discussed at the meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev; the head of the EOC, Patrick Hickey, and a member of the executive committee of the EOC, Spyros Kapralos. They noted the development of sports in Azerbaijan, the progress in the preparations for the first European Olympics. Kapralos said he was impressed by the preparation work done by the organizing committee of Baku-2015.

Incidentally, along with the positive assessment of the preparations for the European Games, there are also some concerns for both the EOC management and the government of Azerbaijan. In particular, Kapralos noted the shortage of hotels felt in Baku. "There are flaws when it comes to hotels, not enough rooms. But we cannot require the construction of new hotels, which will be empty after the European Games. However, the work goes on. I believe that the guests who will come to Baku for the Games will be satisfied," the member of the executive committee of the EOC said.

The government also recognizes the shortage of low-cost hotels in Azerbaijan, the demand for which is growing during mass sporting and cultural events, as an issue. As Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Qarayev said, in preparation for the European Games the state is currently encouraging the construction of three-star hotels with affordable prices. But there is a backup plan. In case there are still not enough hotel rooms, the European Olympic guests will be provided with the accommodation temporarily made available for this purpose. Currently, 15 hotels in Baku offer 15,000 places, of which 6,000 are in the 4- and 5-star hotels. 

The logo and mascot of the European Olympic Games will be presented on 23 November. The ceremony will be held simultaneously in Baku and Rome. It is expected that the logo of the Games in the future will be displayed on the shirts of football clubs: Atletico Madrid (Spain) and Lens (France).