“We were hopeful about winning this series.”
Idman.biz, citing Teleqraf, reports that President of the Azerbaijan Basketball Federation Emin Amrullayev said this in a statement to journalists after the Sumgayit stage of the 3x3 Basketball Women’s World Series.
He noted that the tournament is held annually: “It’s true that this competition did not serve as an Olympic qualifier, but as I mentioned before, the team always takes the court with the goal of winning. Our main objective, however, was to promote basketball in Sumgayit. From this perspective, I can say that today felt like a real festive atmosphere for the residents of Sumgayit. The local turnout at the venue proves that.”
The Minister of Science and Education emphasized that the Azerbaijani national team, which won the Sumgayit stage, has great potential: “Of course, 3x3 basketball is a very tough and dynamic sport. But I believe that with this team, it is possible to achieve even greater success in the future.”
He stated that they have applied to the International Basketball Federation for “Neftchi” and “Absheron” to participate in European competitions: “Our initiative was supported. Financial stability is crucial for our clubs to take part in such tournaments. I am fully confident that our clubs’ participation in European competitions will make the Azerbaijan Basketball League even more interesting.”
Amrullayev said there would be no changes in the Azerbaijan Basketball League next season: “It will likely be the same 6+6 system as last year. We believe this is our final year with this model. We are currently in a transition period. We are waiting for the younger generation, so we are forced to make temporary decisions. In the coming years, our main goal is to increase the number of regional teams.”
The federation president also addressed the lack of basketball teams under many football clubs: “Football, volleyball, and basketball teams should exist under separate clubs. Federations should only provide limited support. ‘Sabah’, ‘Neftchi’, and ‘Ordu’ are with us. They also have basketball teams. From what I see, we need time. Football clubs themselves also need to develop so they can focus on other sports.”
He also spoke about the Azerbaijan Basketball Federation’s plans: “There’s no point in expecting rapid changes here. Our plan is for Azerbaijan’s U-16 and U-18 national teams to become leading teams in Division B and move up to Division A by 2030. The focus should be on youth basketball. Our 18-year-old girls performed well in Division B. Our expectations are especially high for players born in 2012–2014.”
Idman.biz
