Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov has said that Baku is strengthening its position on the global sports stage as part of preparations for its status as World Sports Capital 2026, while continuing to expand the scale of international events and sports infrastructure.
As reported by Idman.Biz, citing Euronews, the minister stressed that the capital is simultaneously preparing for its role as World Sports Capital, developing sports infrastructure and expanding participation in elite sport, youth programs and social inclusion.
“Over recent years, more than 200 sports facilities have been built in the capital and the regions. In Baku, we have hosted numerous multi-format sporting events as well as various international competitions. As a result, we already have a certain legacy,” Gayibov said.
Speaking about upcoming international events, the minister noted that the well-known SportAccord event will be held in Azerbaijan in May. In addition, Baku will host Europe’s largest sports business forum and WADA European symposiums in March. Gayibov also recalled that the country continues to stage Formula 1 races and other major tournaments.
“The World Judo Championships and the European Volleyball Championship will take place in Azerbaijan. We will also host the World Sumo Championships and have already organized, for the first time, the European Championship and the World Cup finals in several winter sports,” the minister emphasized.
Special attention was paid to women’s participation in sport. “For us, this is a very good indicator, at around 40 percent. We see that many of our female athletes have won medals. In addition, the number of women managers, coaches and referees in the sports sector is gradually increasing,” Gayibov said.
The minister named social inclusion as one of the priority areas of state sports policy. “We support the Special Olympics and the Deaflympic Games. Recently, Azerbaijan won its first-ever medal at the Deaflympics,” he noted.
Touching on youth policy and international cooperation, Gayibov added: “Different cities have been named youth capitals by various organizations. Lankaran was the youth capital of the Turkic states. Shusha was declared the youth capital of the ECO, which we organized jointly with ISESCO. This is an excellent experience for our youth, because every year we see more and more volunteers applying to take part in our events.”
“Many international organizations view us as a reliable and effective partner. That is why I believe Baku was named World Sports Capital,” the minister concluded.
