Interview of Yashar Bashirov, president of the Azerbaijan National Karate Federation, to Idman.biz.
- The World Championship is waiting for our karate players. Can the team be considered ready for the World Cup, which will start on October 24 in Budapest?
- Preparations are underway. Our team has always been strong. İt remains one of the leaders. Due to certain financial difficulties, we could not go to competitions as much as we should. This will have some consequences. We used to have sponsors all the time. But now we are going to competitions with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. I appreciate that. Competitions and gatherings are not enough. Overall, the athletes are in good shape. Some of them have injuries, even Farida Aliyeva will not be able to participate in the World Championship.
- Who dou you think will get medals in the World Championship?
- I believe that we will show our capacity in both individual and team competitions. Expectations are high for Asiman Gurbanli and Tural Aghalarzade. I believe that we will be successful as a team. Our men's team is stronger. But our women's team will also perform great. I especially think that Irina Zaretska will stand out again.
- How much do you believe that Irina Zaretska will become the World Champion for the 3rd time?
- She will still be remembered for her successful speech. Irina won a medal in each of the last competitions. We are happy that we have such an athlete. Irina has a great chance to become the World Champion for the 3rd time. We talked to her. I said that I believe Zaretska. I believe 70-80 percent that she will win the gold medal. Every time she speaks, she says that Mr. Yashar, you trust me more than I do.
- Who do you see as the leader of the team after Rafael Aghayev's departure from the national team?
- Of course, nobody can replace Rafael Aghayev all over the world. Rafael was a legendary athlete. He will remain in the history. But we have strong athletes. A good young generation is growing up. Tural Aghalarzade is one of our leaders today. Asiman Gurbanli has not done yet. He is one of our strongest heavyweight athletes. I can also distinguish Aminagha Guliyev in this sense. He is very young, he will do well in competitions.
- What are the future plans of the Azerbaijan National Karate Federation?
- We already have a new structure. Azerbaijan Karate Federation was established by merging 6 institutions. We organize all our competitions together. 6 federations each work in their own direction. Of course, WKF competitions are very different. This type showed great results at the Islamic Solidarity Games, the European Games, and the Olympic Games. I believe that our success will continue in the future.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
