WITH "A GAZELLE" FOR A MASCOT

Azerbaijan's rhythmic gymnastics promise to reach a qualitatively new level this year. The current season will be marked by the holding in Baku of the European championship, which we hosted two years ago. Back then, Aliya Qarayeva won a gold medal in the skipping rope programme, while the national team took third place in the team competition. So the team have every chance of improving on their success.

High competition

Azerbaijani gymnastics are developing at a rapid pace, as proved by our results in the international arena. Take the Beijing Olympics, for example, where we won the maximum possible number of places, delegating two sportswomen to the individual performances and a team in the group exercises. This is only one example of the successful work, not only of the national team coaches, but also of the whole Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (AGF), led by its president Mehriban Aliyeva. From the very beginning, the AGF embarked upon a mission to increase the level of gymnastics in the country by organizing prestigious tournaments in Baku. Azerbaijan, which has already taken part in world and European championships, not to mention the World Cup, can be rightfully called the world's gymnastics centre.

Since most of the world's strongest competitors are concentrated in Europe, competition for medals at the European championship is especially high.

If we may talk about personalities, Aliya Qarayeva is clearly a leader who made her way rapidly into the elite. Her gold medal at Euro 2007 in the skipping rope programme was not unexpected. The gymnast managed to overcome Russia's Olga Kapranova and Vera Sessina and Ukraine's Anna Bessonova. "I am very proud that our Aliya won Azerbaijan's first gold medal in a European championship. When the flag of a Muslim country with the star and crescent is hoisted in our women's sport, this is highly symbolic. No one country has the right to win all the gold," said Irina Viner, coach of the Russian national team who took charge of the Russian federation recently.

Of course, our Graces still find it very difficult to win medals in the all-round events, but in individual exercises our sportswomen can vie for the highest places. Aliya's performance in the European championship two years ago is an example. Nor should we forget Anna Qurbanova and Zeynal Cavadli, whose presence made the struggle for a place in the first team quite intense. As for Dinara Gimatova, she is now a coach and is helping the national team coach, Mariana Vasilyeva, to train the team. All the leading gymnasts of Azerbaijan's national team are currently preparing their programmes for the main season. According to the coaches, all the exercises are new and quite difficult and, what is more, clubs have once more been replaced by balls in the schedule.

The country's juniors are also engaged in intensive double exercises. The Bulgarian coach has arranged an exercise to the accompaniment of Romany music with five ribbons for Sabina Abbasova, Aelita Xalafova, Nigar Abdusali-mova, Yevgeniya Zhidkova and Kamila Mammadova, as well as for two reserve gymnasts - Nargiz Aliyeva and Lala Maharra-mova. Incidentally, the coach was initially invited to work on group exercises with the team which she made into one of the top eight teams at the Olympics. The team achieved its first remarkable success at Euro 2007 when the young sportswomen took fourth place. "The team made tremendous progress. We had almost no progress before and, after the collapse of the USSR, our group team ceased to exist. But it revived literally within two years. We began with the older national team, and now both the adult and junior teams are among the top eight teams in the world and Europe," said Altay Hasanov, vice-president of the national federation.

Baku and a new Olympic cycle

Thirty-three countries have already submitted their preliminary applications to participate in the 25th European rhythmic gymnastics championship, which will be held in Baku from 15-17 May. Of course, Azerbaijan is one of them. Gymnasts from the 33 countries will take part in the individual tournament, while 19 European teams will join battle in a contest of junior groups of six. Every country may be represented by three individual sportswomen, with one reserve and a junior team in the group exercises.

The preliminary schedule for Euro 2009 indicates that the European champion of the team competition will be established over the first two days of the championship (15-16 May), while the best team in group exercises with five ribbons and the individual winners of the separate finals (skipping rope, hoop, ball and ribbon) will become known on the last day of the exercises.

Euro 2009 in Baku will be the first important contest in the new Olympic cycle. The contest of the continent's best sportswomen will, as always, be held at the Heydar Aliyev sports and concert complex. Baku fans will have a unique chance to see the stars of world rhythmic gymnastics and brilliant performances by winners and participants of the Beijing Olympics and experience the emotions and the joy of victory. This is a wonderful opportunity for all fans to see the latest achievements of the rhythmic gymnastics schools of various countries - new programmes and new elements.

The official logo of the European championship in Baku, in which the colours of Azerbaijan's national flag were used, was called "a vortex of emotions". The championship is not just a sporting event. For Baku it is a remarkable event and for sportswomen it is a place where dreams come true and new beginnings are spot lit. This is what you do your exercises for. Within this vortex there are dreams, hopes and emotions. The mascot of the European gymnastics tournament in Baku is a friendly and happy gazelle. Gozal, the Baku mascot of Euro 2009, will accompany all participants in the championship.

Incidentally, the European Union of Gymnastics (UEG) will hold two important events in Baku in February. Specifically, its director Manfred Kucht and the president of the Technical Committee for Rhythmic Gymnastics, Heide Bruneder, will take part in a session of the championship's organizational committee. The subjects under discussion will be issues of accreditation and accommodating participants, doping control, TV broadcasts, equipment for the sports complex and reports on the course of preparations for the championship, as well as other subjects. In addition, Bruneder will chair a meeting of the Technical Committee during which she will approve the schedule of the European championship, the times of arrival for its participants and honorary guests. Special attention will be paid to the format of the agreement, the number of gymnasts and the composition of junior group teams. Finally, the casting of lots for the European championship, which will be conducted by members of the technical committee, will be an important event.

There are great expectations of the forthcoming event, as Baku has proved to be a wonderful organizer of major sporting events. Thus it is no surprise that two years after Euro 2007, Azerbaijan will again host this prestigious championship. The contest will be another chance for gymnasts to show their mastery and outline their bids for places at the Olympics in 2012. Of course, the host team will find it difficult to repeat their achievement of two years ago, when Qarayeva won a gold medal in the skipping rope programme, while the national team took third place in the team performances. But Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnastics have already reached a certain level, which must, at least, be maintained. Yes, our rivals are on the alert and it will be hard to compete with Russia and Ukraine. However, the team are used to setting themselves the hardest tasks and then achieving them. So, our national team are bracing themselves for new challenges, especially as our country will host this championship. As we know, even walls help at home.