The capture of Venezuela’s now former president Nicolas Maduro and his transfer to the United States has undoubtedly become the main event of early 2026 and the most widely discussed news around the world in recent days.
Interestingly, just over half a year ago, in June of last year, shortly before the US Navy began deploying its forces off the coast of Venezuela, Azerbaijani athletes visited this Latin American country.
In particular, young badminton players Ulvi Huseynov and Leyla Jamalzade competed in Venezuela. They first won gold medals in the individual events and mixed doubles, and later, at another international tournament also held in the country, claimed two silver medals.
The performances of the Azerbaijani athletes in Venezuela were led by the head coach of the Azerbaijan national badminton team, Iranian specialist Morteza Validarvi, who shared his impressions of his stay in a country facing a unique situation in a conversation with Idman.Biz.
“Our badminton players showed excellent results both in the youth tournament and in the elite category. I have often visited Latin American countries where competitions are held at a good, though not the highest, level. At the same time, the venues were very clean and well maintained,” Validarvi recalled.
He also noted that local residents treated the Azerbaijani athletes very warmly.
“Venezuelans treated us with great respect and attention. They were also surprised that we had traveled such a long distance from Azerbaijan to Venezuela. For example, representatives of the tournament organizing committee waited for us at Caracas airport for four hours, after which we went to the city of Maracay. It is a very neat and, most importantly, clean city with quality roads and developed infrastructure,” Validarvi said.
The specialist also pointed out an interesting feature of the Venezuelans.
“It was interesting that many people wanted to get our shirts with Azerbaijani symbols, while refusing to give us theirs. We were told that they are not allowed to give foreigners clothing that features the Venezuelan flag,” the coach emphasized.
Overall, the Azerbaijan national team coach was satisfied with the visit to the country.
“At that time, we walked around the city a lot and communicated with local residents. They are very responsive and always tried to help us. Once again, the main thing that constantly caught the eye was the cleanliness everywhere,” Validarvi added.
