Today marks the birthday of First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Azerbaijan Culture Foundation and the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation Mehriban Aliyeva.
As reported by İdman.Biz, Mehriban Arif Aliyeva was born on August 26, 1964, in Baku into a family of intellectuals. In 1988, she graduated with honours from the I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical Institute.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Mehriban Aliyeva married in 1983. They have three children. As Mehriban Aliyeva has noted in her interviews, both her mother's aspirations and the advice of Ilham Aliyev's mother, Zarifa Aliyeva, played an important role in her choice of profession.
Mehriban Aliyeva was elected President of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (AGF) on October 7, 2002. At the time, the federation oversaw four gymnastics disciplines, while today nine disciplines are being developed in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani gymnasts have competed at the Olympic Games and won medals at World and European Championships. The country has hosted 17 Gymnastics World Cup events, two World Championships and five European Championships.
Since 2014, the National Gymnastics Arena, regarded as one of the world's distinctive sports facilities, has been used both for the training of gymnasts and for hosting major international competitions. According to the AGF, gymnastics sections currently operate in 18 regions of Azerbaijan.
Another indication of the federation's progress is its position in the ranking of 10 national federations recognised by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The AGF has been included in the list for six consecutive years and has topped the ranking for the past three years.
On December 28, 2004, Mehriban Aliyeva was elected a member of the Executive Committee of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan at its 4th General Assembly.
On December 8, 2012, the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees decided to award Baku the right to host the inaugural European Games in 2015. An Organising Committee was established on January 17, 2013, to prepare for the event, with Mehriban Aliyeva appointed as its chair.
In June 2014, Mehriban Aliyeva received the International Olympic Academy's special honorary "Olympic Excellence" award for her contribution to promoting Olympic values.
On January 21, 2016, she was presented with the Order of Merit, the highest award of the European Olympic Committees, in recognition of her special contribution to the development of sport in Europe.
The İdman.Biz team sincerely congratulates Mehriban Aliyeva on her birthday and wishes her success in her tireless work for Azerbaijan's bright future.
