FEDERATION OF THE YEAR

The sixth general report-back and election meeting of the Azerbaijani Gymnastics Fe-deration [AGF] has been held. Azerbaijan's First Lady, the president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, has unanimously been re-elected president of the Azerbaijani Gymnastics Federation. Elections to the other leading posts were also held. Altay Hasanov was re-elected deputy head of the Protocol Service of Azerbaijan's President.

Rauf Aliyev, Rafiq Behbudov and Mariana Vasileva became members of the federation's executive committee. We would like to remind you that Rauf Aliyev and Rafiq Behbudov have been elected members of the executive committee for the fourth time, while Mariana Vasileva has been elected for the first time.

After the report-back and election meeting, AGF Vice-President Altay Hasanov told Regionplus in an interview that the outgoing year had been a successful one: 

"Thanks to the efforts of Azerbaijan's First Lady, the president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, this type of sport is developing rapidly in our country. I would like to note with a feeling of enormous satisfaction that the AGF has traversed a long and successful path in coming into being and has achieved good results, which is thanks to the great services of the federation's leadership headed by Mehriban xanim [term of respect when addressing a woman in Azerbaijan] Aliyeva, all the federation's staff, the sports people, the coaches and everyone who has taken part in the process. The year 2015 will be recorded as a successful season for our gymnasts. At the First European Games held in Baku, they gladdened us with seven medals. What is more, we achieved success in those types of gymnastics that we started to develop in our republic relatively recently."

According to Altay Hasanov, every sportsman, coach and the leadership of the federation sets him or herself the aim of improving on the results achieved: "After such success, it becomes increasingly difficult to repeat the results. They have begun to reckon with us in the world arena, we are being recognised as a gymnastics country. At the present time, seven types of gymnastics registered by the International Gymnastics Federation, are represented in our country. When we had just started (the AGF was set up in 2002), we were only engaged in three types of gymnastics. Now we can take part in the world gymnastics process on an equal footing. We are reckoned with and they come to us for training from all continents. Although this only applies to artistic gymnastics for the moment, I am hoping that this will be true of other forms of gymnastics in Azerbaijan.

The vice-president stated that the most important factor in achieving success is the presence of a good collective in the federation itself: "A system has been set up in the federation which I am proud to talk about. This system gets rid of elements that are alien to us. This does not simply apply to the sports system, but to mental attitude as well. Here everyone, ranging from the management down to the sportsmen, to the grass-roots members, is trying as hard as they can for the common cause. Everyone is glad when the others are successful. You don't come across things like this often in life. We have already managed to achieve this and we need to maintain it. Besides the results achieved, I believe it is extremely important for us to be able to create a similar atmosphere in the federation, among the sportsmen, foreign mentors and coaches." 

Altay Hasanov noted in particular that the federation's activity and the successes of Azerbaijani gymnasts have ensured a flow of young people into the sports section. This is one of the main aims that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has set the sports officials, that people should come into sport, engage in sport in their masses and only then will there be results.

Speaking of the prospects for Azerbaijani sportsmen at the forthcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Altay Hasanov stressed that high-level competitions had always been a difficult test for the sportsmen: "Just as in the previous Olympics, there will be a hard struggle in Rio as well. I think that our female gymnast Marina Durunda will perform successfully."

The vice-president added that Azerbaijan already has one licence for artistic gymnastics participation in the 2016 Olympic Games. Oleg Stepko brought in another licence in acrobatic gymnastics. A training tournament is to take place in Rio de Janeiro in April next year, at which the Azerbaijani sportsman will compete for yet another licence: "We have a won a medal in acrobatic gymnastics (at the World Championship in Glasgow the Azerbaijani gymnast Oleg Stepko won a bronze award) and now they are reckoning with us and trying "to stop" us. You see, we have become a "threat" to the traditional members of the gymnastics' family."

After pointing out the great significance of preparing the sportsmen for the Olympics psychologically, the AGF vice-president stressed that this is an extremely difficult competition, mainly from the point of view of the sense of responsibility: "This is the hardest battle since the sportsmen bear enormous responsibility. Seconds can decide everything there. Therefore psychological preparation is one of the most important components, naturally alongside the sports coaching."

Altay Hasanov says that the goal has been set today of achieving the level of world standard sportsmen and always holding Azerbaijan's banner high. Speaking of the forthcoming sports competitions in the country, he particularly noted the three stages of the World Cup are to be held in Baku in 2016. "In February there will be the acrobatic gymnastics' tournament, in March there will be the trampoline tournament and in July the acrobatic gymnastics' tournament. It is expected that sportsmen from 25 countries on different continents will take part in these competitions. At this time, we are training for them, and the organisation of these competitions and will meet the highest world standards. Azerbaijan already has experience in conducting such competitions. We have a magnificent national arena and a unified collective. I believe that the competitions will be held on the highest level." 

We would like to note that, according to the results for 2015, the Ministry of Youth and Sport has declared the Azerbaijani Gymnastics Federation the Federation of the Year.