OLYMPIC COMPETITORS TO GO TO BEIJING

Fewer than 100 days remain before the Olympic Games open in Beijing, but our national team continues to increase. Qualifying tournaments in many sports will end only this month. So far our team has won 35 places. And there could be more to come.

Disposition of forces

Azerbaijan's national freestyle wrestling team will be represented at the Olympic Games by a full complement. This emerged after the International Wrestling Federation (FILA) granted a vacancy to our heavyweight Ali Isayev (120 kg), who took third place at the European championship in Tampere. So our team will send seven athletes to the Games and does not have to participate in the final qualifier in Warsaw.

Initially, Isayev failed to win a place in Beijing following Euro 2008, the only ticket being given to Georgia's David Modzmanashvili. However, he was caught using stimulants and FILA filled the vacancy with the Azerbaijani "freestyler". Ironically, this news came as our hero was preparing for the qualifier in Poland, where he does not have to go now. Thus the national team's chief coach, Mahammadxan Aratsilov, has kept his promise that the team would be represented at the Games in all weight categories. This is the first time that our national team will send a full complement to the Olympics.

Summarizing the results of the qualifying selection for "freestylers", we should say that, apart from Isayev (120 kg), places in Beijing have also been won by Emin Azizov (66 kg), Camsulvara Camsulvarayev (74 kg), Novruz Temrezov (84 kg), Xetag Gazyumov (96 kg), Namiq Sevdimov (55 kg) and Zalimxan Huseynov (60 kg). However, they still have to prove their right to be in the national team, because in wrestling places are given to the country, not to specific athletes. Aratsilov observed that the final composition of the team will be announced after the final of the FILA Gold Grand Prix in Baku in June.

Sydney Olympic champion Zemfira Meftaheddinova has won the right to participate in the Beijing Games in trap and skeet shooting. This was made possible by a special wild card which our sportswoman received from the International Shooting Sports Federation. So the well-known sharpshooter, a medal winner at two previous Olympic Games, has a good chance of performing successfully at the next prestigious tournament. Meftaheddinova was unable to win a place in Beijing by right, but she remained favourite for the Olympics 2008, especially as she has the highest ranking of those trap and skeet shooters who failed to find their way to the Olympics and she achieved a number of high results during the qualifiers. For example, during the World Cup 2006 in Cairo, she equalled the world record, but failed to make it into the final. "I had a long break from shooting because I was on maternity leave. Last January I had a son, which is why I missed the preliminary stage of preparation for competitions. But the most important thing was that I was not psychologically prepared for the tournaments. This was why I lost out, whereas everything went well in technical-tactical training," said Zemfira, commenting on the reasons for her failures in qualifying tournaments.

Zemfira received a further chance to go to Beijing after the number of participants in the Olympic skeet programme was dramatically increased. She simply had to wait for the final decision of the international federation, which agreed to Azerbaijan's request. Thus Zemfira was given a wild card to an Olympic Games for the second time. The markswoman was in a similar situation before Sydney, when she failed to win a place on her own account, but went to the Games by special invitation and won gold. Of course, it is difficult to say if this victorious outcome will be repeated, but certain parallels can already be drawn.

Always on horseback

Azerbaijani equestrian Camal Rahimov is also going to the Beijing Olympics. Having competed successfully at a qualifying tournament in Turkey, where he won gold and bronze in different disciplines, the sportsman qualified for a place at the Games. Although the International Federation for Equestrian Sports will only name the official qualifiers in May, Camal is sure to be in Beijing by right.

Rahimov's main rival for qualification was an Israeli who failed to arrive in Turkey. Although our rider was high in the rankings, he had to do well on the Bosporus coast in order to ensure his place at the Games. After the first competition, Camal improved his ranking by five points and took third place on the European list for the Olympics. He also demonstrated excellent moral qualities and determination and completed the tournament despite suffering a head injury. It was serious enough for Camal to resort to medical aid, requiring several stitches.

It is notable that on the second day of the contest Camal improved further and took third place on a course with 155 cm barriers and then won a tournament with 160 cm barriers. This took him to second place in the rankings and a firm grip on a place in Azerbaijan's Olympic team. Furthermore, our country has never participated in the Games in the equestrian arena, so Camal has written a new page in the history of Azerbaijani sport. Although he will take part in such a prestigious competition for the first time, we can already predict with confidence that he will not lose in Beijing. In recent years, Rahimov has been among Europe's most gifted riders and has justified the opportunities he has been given with brilliant results in the international arena.

Returning to the tournament in Istanbul, we should note that his performance also won Camal a place at the 2009 European championships, so his schedule will be quite busy for the next few years. But now it is much more important for him to prepare for the forthcoming Olympic Games, as there is little time left, especially in view of the red tape involved in the transportation of horses, the problem of fodder and so on. At the moment, Camal is competing on the horses Ionesco De Brekka and Aramis, which he has ridden in a number of major tournaments.

Little time left

The field hockey women's national team of Azerbaijan were one step short of a place at the Olympic Games. Having made their way into the final of the qualifying tournament in Baku, the host team failed to finish Spain off in a decisive fixture and lost 2:3 in a dramatic fight. The visitors scored their winning goal in the last minutes of the game, depriving their opponents of a chance to try their luck in extra time. In terms of ranking, victory went to the team that was favourite from the outset. The team from the Iberian Peninsula arrived in Baku as leading contenders for a ticket to the Games and achieved their goal. The host team failed to win at home, although the tournament also went quite smoothly for them. They lost only to the same Spanish team in the preliminary round. Their rivals did really well to deserve a place at the Olympic Games, but this does not mean that Tahir Zaman's team was doomed to failure. On the contrary, the team prepared well for the tournament, while the players did everything possible to alter the course of history in their favour. At the same time, we must acknowledge the team spirit and fighting qualities of these women, who scored two equalizers. Both were scored by Dilfuza Mirzaliyeva whose accurate shooting helped the national team to several important victories in Baku. However, Dilfuza's double in the final was not enough to bring overall success. Now time will be taken to analyze the causes of failure and find out what our team was lacking. It is difficult now to judge what changes will be made to the team, but it is obvious that a number of them will have to say goodbye to the team, although they have been important components for the last few years. On the other hand, the experience of the former captain Zeynab Nuriyeva, who left six months ago, would probably be useful to the national team, although she has yet to have her final say in big-time sport.

Certainly, it is wrong to judge from the sidelines the team's chances with one player or another, because a lot depends on performance. Today Spain play better, as proved by their ranking. The coaches will have to get a grip and prepare their players for the next cycle by rejuvenating and renewing the team.