The Azerbaijan Basketball Federation held an event to mark the opening of the new season.
According to Idman.biz, the event was attended by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Farid Gayibov, the President of the Azerbaijan Basketball Federation, Emin Amrullayev, federation officials, players, and media representatives.
FIBA referee Urfan Bayramli opened the event with a presentation summarizing the achievements of the past year. Following his speech, a video showcasing last year’s competitions was displayed.
Minister Farid Gayibov emphasized that efforts are being made to develop basketball in the country: "There will be 7 leagues in basketball. Football is globally recognized as the most popular sport, but we don’t even have 7 leagues in football here. As the number of teams grows, more foreign players are invited, but we are also seeing a significant number of local athletes. Games will now also be held in regional areas. Fans are attending the matches as well. Last year, many fans came to watch Ganja’s games, which is very encouraging."
This development points to the continued growth of basketball in Azerbaijan and greater fan engagement across the country.
President of the Basketball Federation, Emin Amrullayev, addressed the participants of the event and shared the objectives of the gathering:
"The purpose of holding this event is to provide information on the work we've accomplished over the past year and to share our plans for the future. We have achieved many of the goals we set last year, and for that, I would like to thank the players and coaches.
As for the Federation's goals, sports is a field where everyone wants to win. However, the reality is that winning all the time is not possible. Our main goal is to create a strong basketball culture. We want to reach a point where we can walk around Baku and see children playing basketball. Once we get there, we can confidently say that 'Basketball exists in Azerbaijan.' This takes time, but we are moving towards that goal step by step. It’s possible that we may not always see results in some competitions, but participation is key. As time goes on, success will follow. We are already working towards our 4-5 year goals. Our primary focus is on further developing youth basketball, and we will continue to set bigger targets.
We have won medals in Division C and are now aiming to move on from Division C and into Division B. While we may not always achieve results, we must not lose motivation. Five years from now, we should be aiming for Division A. Once we play at that level, we can truly call ourselves a basketball country. Additionally, I am pleased to announce the launch of the new ABL (Azerbaijan Basketball League) app. The primary goal of this app is to increase interest in the sport. In my conversations with Mr. Farid Gayibov, I always say that if we can gather 20,000 fans at the Crystal Hall, we will know that basketball's popularity is on the rise. I am confident we will achieve this soon."
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
