CONTINENTAL GAMES IN BAKU

The European Olympic Committee has decided to hold the first European Games in Baku in 2015. President of the European Olympic Committee (EOC) Patrick Hickey expressed confidence that the Games in Baku will be held at the highest level.

Baku's candidacy to host the first European Games was approved by a vote at the General Assembly of the EOC. The vote involved 48 countries. Thirty-eight voted in favour of Baku, 8 - against and two abstained. Armenia declined to participate in the vote. In any case, Baku has already promised to guarantee the security of Armenian representatives at the European Games.

Why Baku?

The EOC chose Baku not without reason. First, in recent years, Azerbaijan has gained considerable experience in hosting continental and world championships and Olympic qualifying tournaments. As a result of the state's special attention to the development of sports, Azerbaijan is recognized as a sports power worldwide. It is also important that the Olympic and sports movement of Azerbaijan as a whole is headed personally by President Ilham Aliyev, who is interested in the development of all sports.

Having won 10 Olympic medals in London this summer, Azerbaijani sportsmen took 30th place in the world and 15th in Europe. This is considered a fairly good indicator, especially given the small length of the country's involvement in the Olympic movement.

Other factors that prompted the EOC to bet on Azerbaijan are political stability and economic development in the country. It is these two factors to which international organizations tend to attach great importance. Due to its economic potential, Azerbaijan guaranteed the EOC that there would be no financial problems in the organization of the tournament.

What do the European Games promise?

It should be noted that this is the first European Olympic Games in the history of world sport, and the fact that Baku has been entrusted to host such a reputable international tournament is extremely important for the young independent state. This emphasizes its authority in the system of international relations.

More than 4,000 athletes, coaches, officials and guests will arrive in Azerbaijan to participate in the continental games. Teams from about 50 countries are expected to participate. This means that during the European Games, the leading channels of Europe and the world will be broadcasting from Baku, which will become the sports capital of Europe once again.

Likewise, the European Olympic Games promise Baku considerable financial gain from the sale of broadcasting rights, brands and tickets. According to preliminary calculations, the state budget may earn at least 100 million euros. At the same time, the Games will serve as a powerful impetus for the development of tourism, transport infrastructure and other areas in Azerbaijan.

Prepare now

The sports infrastructure of Baku allows us to say that there will be no problems with the organization of the first European Olympic Games. Some sports complexes are already available, and temporary facilities will be built for some sports. A 65,000-seat Olympic stadium, where the opening ceremony of the Games will be held, will be ready by that time. A water sports centre and a gymnastics complex are also expected to open by 2015. The Heydar Aliyev Sports and Concert Complex, the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium and other sports facilities of the capital will be used for various competitions.

The main task is to build an Olympic Village, for which various options are already being considered. According to Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov, we can use the available sports facilities and mixed-use complexes, for example, the Baku Expocentre on the road to the airport. To develop the Olympic Village, it is planned to revamp and provide with temporary infrastructure the new houses built at Heydar Aliyev Avenue. This is costly, and to reduce the expenses, a contract is likely to be signed with the firm that built these houses located near the Koroglu metro station. Temporary catering points, a gym, a health center and other necessary infrastructure will be provided here. All these issues will be resolved in the very near future.

Euro-Olympic sports

For the time being, it is decided to hold the European Games in 13 sports - handball, volleyball, rugby, boxing, judo, taekwondo, triathlon, badminton, archery, fencing, table tennis, canoeing and equestrianism. Competitions for two non-Olympic sports are also planned.

Azerbaijani sportsmen, as hosts of the Games, will be represented in all sports. However, the target list includes sports that are not cultivated in our country. Therefore, it is necessary to promote and develop these sports in Azerbaijan in the next 2 years.

Consultations will also be conducted with the IOC about the conduct of the European Games. Our country suggests that during the Games, licences in some sports be raffled for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The final decision rests with the IOC.

Visit card

The first European Olympic Games will contribute to the organization of other prestigious events in Azerbaijan in the future. According to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, it is planned to hold Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku in 2017. The official confirmation of this information is expected next summer. Before that, in 2016, Azerbaijan will host the final stage of the European junior football championship (U-17). In addition, our capital is expected to host the Universiade in 2019, as well as several matches of Euro-2020. All this increases the country's chances of hosting the Summer Olympic Games.