TWO GOLD MEDALS IN TWELVE YEARS

The Summer Olympic Games held in Paris have become historic. While there has been much discussion about the organisation of the 2024 Games, let's focus on the performance of Azerbaijani athletes.

In Paris, the Azerbaijani team won 2 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze medals. Given the two gold medals, it would be unfair to negatively assess their performance. Throughout Azerbaijan's history of independence, the country has only twice won two gold medals simultaneously—at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. In addition to gold, Australia brought home 1 bronze medal, while Great Britain secured 2 silver and 5 bronze medals. According to the criteria set by the International Olympic Committee, Paris ranks as Azerbaijan's second most successful Olympic participation. It's also worth noting that in the two previous Games, the Azerbaijani team did not win any gold medals at all.

The most successful athletes at the Paris Olympics were from the Azerbaijan Judo Federation. The work accomplished in a short period yielded positive results. Earlier this year, European and world champions Hidayat Heydarov and Zelim Kotsoyev achieved titles they had long sought in their careers. Heydarov demonstrated a very good performance in all his bouts, drawing attention with his tactical decisions. He forced his opponents to receive shido penalties in most of his matches and executed the winning technique at crucial moments. Kotsoyev also approached the Olympics in good shape. After a brilliant victory in the final against a Georgian athlete, he became the fourth judoka in Azerbaijani sports history to win a gold medal.

Unfortunately, other judokas on the team did not meet the challenges of the Olympics and were eliminated early on. Even with an advantage over their opponents, they could not convert this into victories.

Main Disappointment

The national wrestling team surprised many during the Paris Games—in a negative sense this time. With no strong challengers from Russia participating, everyone expected Azerbaijani wrestlers to perform better. However, the wrestlers managed to set an anti-record. For the first time in the history of independent Azerbaijan, wrestlers did not reach the finals at the Olympics, with bronze medals being their best results. Renowned wrestlers such as Haji Aliyev and Maria Stadnik did not place among the medallists. Despite some athletes leading on points during their matches, they ultimately lost. Additionally, there were noticeable weaknesses in the athletes' physical preparation and tactical execution.

The results of Azerbaijan's wrestling team highlighted the urgent need for reforms in this sport. World and European champions Haji Aliyev, Maria Stadnik, and Rafiq Huseynov will no longer be able to participate in the next Olympics due to both age and physical conditions. Therefore, retirement would be a wise decision for these decorated athletes.

Azerbaijani fans were also disappointed by the boxing team. Four boxers did not meet expectations, losing in early rounds. Only Alfonso Dominguez—a naturalized Cuban athlete—managed to reach the finals, where he settled for a silver medal. Notably, Dominguez barely engaged in boxing against his Uzbek opponent in the final, which surprised many observers.

Highlights of the Team

Trampoline gymnastics began developing in Azerbaijan only ten years ago. Seljan Maqsudova made history as the first Azerbaijani athlete to compete in trampoline gymnastics at the Olympics. Rhythmic gymnast Zohra Aghamirova qualified for her second Olympic appearance in her career. The gymnasts competing in group exercises reached the finals, where they outperformed host country France and several ambitious teams but ultimately secured fifth place.

The women's 3x3 basketball team drew attention by defeating opponents such as the USA and China but failed to advance to the playoffs due to insufficient points.

The most discussed and popular Azerbaijani athlete in international media was Yaylagul Ramazanova (archery). The 34-year-old, who was seven months pregnant at the time, scored 10 points during classification—a fact reported by many sports media worldwide. Although she did not finish among the medalists, she attracted significant interest from various global tabloids.

Azerbaijan’s taekwondo representation in Paris was limited to one athlete. Experts did not expect a medal from Hashim Magomedov; however, he defied their predictions. Magomedov returned to Baku with a silver medal after losing in the final due to injury.

The Paris Olympics will be remembered for seven medals: Hidayat Heydarov and Zelim Kotsoyev—gold, Alfonso Dominguez and Hashim Magomedov—silver, and Hasrat Jafarov, Magomedkhan Magomedov, and Georgiy Meshvildishvili—bronze. In terms of medals won, Azerbaijan ranked 30th at the Olympics.

High Praise

Upon their return home, the medal winners were received by the President of Azerbaijan and head of the National Olympic Committee, Ilham Aliyev. He highly praised the results achieved at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris: "The Olympic Games are a competition that holds a special place among all other sporting events. It is a sporting celebration that occurs every four years, and certainly every athlete and every country prepares especially for these Games. Our successes at the Olympic Games in previous years and at these last Games demonstrate that Azerbaijan is a strong sporting power. It is no coincidence that we ranked among the top 30 countries in the world at these Games. I believe that winning 2 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals is an excellent result."

As noted during the reception by Ilham Aliyev, preparations for the Summer Olympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles need to begin immediately. It is no secret that some sports are undergoing generational changes. Veterans are concluding their careers, making way for younger athletes. Over the next four years, new competitors will vie for licenses in most sports disciplines.

President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree awarding athletes who won medals at the Paris Olympics. Gold medallists received ₼400,000; silver medallists ₼200,000; and bronze medallists ₼100,000 each. Additionally, through another decision from the head of state, cash rewards were granted to champion athletes from the National Olympic Committee amounting to ₼200,000 for first-place winners and ₼100,000 and ₼50,000 respectively for second and third places.