THE ROAD TO BEIJING PASSES THROUGH BAKU

The main sporting event of the year in Azerbaijan will begin on 17 September - the Senior World Championship in Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Women's Wrestling which will attract the planet's best athletes. This competition is unusual in that the wrestlers will be competing not just for World Championship medals but for Olympic licences. The 2007 World Championship is, therefore, especially important for all the teams, without exception, including the hosts who are trying to extract maximum benefit from it.

Chances of gold

Our freestyle and classic wrestlers should be the main recipients of tickets to Beijing, but the team does not plan to think small and will compete for the top places. It has all the requirements for this, especially the Greco-Roman wrestlers where a quartet of leaders stand out - Azerbaijan's best sportsman last year, Rovsan Bayramov (55 kg), European champion Vitaliy Rahi-mov (60 kg), Olympic champion in Athens Farid Man-surov (66 kg) and gold medallist at the Tashkent Grand Prix, Ilqar Abdulov (74 kg).

The team's main trainer, Elcin Cafarov, said the iron discipline in the squad was one of the main reasons for the success of recent years. "We have a strict regime which not everyone can cope with. In our time we have even had to say farewell to some famous wrestlers - some were released from training camps, others warned," Cafarov said. "This is how we managed to achieve discipline in the team, which at the same time has a healthy, friendly atmosphere. Our lads are very young - the oldest is 25. They have been working for their success for around five years, taking part in many training camps in technique and tactics and physical preparation and in different international events. And we believe in every wrestler and give him a chance to show himself in the best light."

Azerbaijan's Greco-Roman wrestlers are today considered to be serious opponents - some teams have wanted to see Azerbaijani wrestlers in their own squads. The trainer said: "After the 2006 World Championship the heads of several national federations approached me and suggested 'swapping' athletes. They said that we had two world class wrestlers in one weight category - Farid Mansurov and Xusametdin Racabov - and asked us to give up one of them. In return they were ready to give us one of their heavyweights as we have problems in this category. But we refused, as we do not intend to disperse our trainees and are not going to give anyone anything. Many specialists from Russia, Iran, Turkey and other countries respect our sportsmen and understand that the Azerbaijani school of 'classical' wrestling is on a high today."

It is striking that there are no local heavyweight competitors in our squad. This is one of the main problems in the team, so the trainers have no option but to turn to foreign athletes. Since the World Championship is taking place in Baku, it is incumbent on the hosts to put out as full a team as possible, although quantity does not always guarantee quality.

Championship spirit

The attendance of the Armenian team is causing quite a stir ahead of the World Championship. As behoves a country hosting a major competition, Azerbaijan has offered security guarantees to all the participants, including the Armenian delegation. Several months ago representatives of the Armenian federation came to Baku and received affirmative answers to their questions about guarantees. The Armenians will bring a full complement of freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers to Baku, which means that it will be a large delegation.

Returning to the Azerbaijani team, this will be a special championship for the freestyle wrestlers and especially the squad's leader for many years, Namiq Abdullayev (55 kg). He has been working towards winning the world title for many years but has not yet managed to do it. So victory in Baku is a priority for the Olympic champion and many times European champion. Despite his age, the athlete is still getting top results, coming third in last year's World Championships and second in Europe.

On the other hand, the team's current helmsman, Yaqub Mammadov, has significantly shuffled the squad and brought in several foreigners who have upped the team's potential. Xataq Gazumov (96 kg) won the Grand Prix in Germany and Poland, Novruz Temrezov (84 kg) won in Warsaw while Elnur Aslanov (74 kg) and Ali Isayev (120 kg) completed the top three. Their trainer thinks that his team will be able to compete successfully at home and win as many licences as possible. "We have an even, balanced team - there are strong wrestlers in both the light and heavyweight categories. Overall I'm satisfied with the lads' approach," Mammadov said.

Russian wrestlers, who are coming to Baku in a revitalized team, will be our freestyle wrestlers' main opponents. Some of the leaders in their weight categories for many years did not get into the team: twice Olympic champion and six times World champion Buvaysar Saytiyev (up to 74 kg), Olympic medallist, twice World champion Sazhid Sazhidov (up to 84 kg) and World champion Kurma-gomed Kurmagomedov (up to 120 kg). Despite the absence of these titled wrestlers, a strong squad is coming to Baku, able to achieve high objectives. It could not be any other way, as the World Championship is a licensed competition and many teams want to achieve their minimum objectives in Baku. The athletes who take the top eight places in their weight categories will get a pass to Beijing; 56 freestyle wrestlers, the same number of Greco-Romans and 32 women wrestlers will get a precious pass to Beijing.

Women wrestlers could represent Azerbaijan in the Olympics for the first time, if they are successful in Baku. Sona Ahmadli, until recently a successful judo competitor, has joined the team. She has medals from the European youth championship, but Sona decided to try her strength in a different type of combat and became an international medal winner. 

Azerbaijan already has experience in holding such prestigious tournaments. The European Freestyle Wrestling Championship was held in Baku in 2002, while a few years later the Heydar Aliyev Sport and Concert Complex hosted the World Team Championship, which the hosts won. A year earlier the Grand Prix final took place in Baku and again our wrestlers gave excellent performances. However, the World Championships are a competition of an entirely different order and the competitive spirit here is different from many other international events. But Azerbaijani wrestlers have shown often that they are able to achieve the highest objectives. And you can have no doubt that they will reach their aims.