The Minister of Youth and Sports, Farid Gayibov, held his traditional meeting with journalists to discuss the results of the year.
The minister answered questions from media representatives, Idman.biz reports.
- 2024 was marked by historic events and successes for Azerbaijani sports. The Azerbaijani athletes performed successfully both in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games and in other prestigious competitions. Given all this, how would you assess the year for Azerbaijani sports as we prepare to close it?
- On December 24, we had a great meeting. The President brought the sports community together. As he mentioned, this tradition has been going on for 27 years. Frankly, I don’t know of any country where the head of state meets with athletes at the end of each year to reward and honor them. The highest recognition was given to our athletes by the President. The most important event of the year was the Olympic Games. Compared to previous Olympics, I can confidently say that we achieved very successful results in Paris. As you know, all countries experienced the pandemic, and due to this, some of our athletes ended their careers. However, new athletes emerged. Naturally, it takes time for them to mature. By the way, for the first time, we were represented in 15 sports at the Paris Olympics, including some new sports for us. One sport I would like to highlight is trampoline gymnastics. I emphasize this sport because, with the right approach, we can achieve great results. Trampoline gymnastics started developing in Azerbaijan 10 years ago. Previously, athletes from Russia represented us in this sport. Alongside Russian and Belarusian athletes, others represented us at the European Games. We also started developing youth groups, and from those groups, Seljan Mahsudova earned an Olympic qualification after 10 years. There are only 16 spots for trampoline gymnastics at the Olympics, and traditionally, countries with a strong background in the sport receive two spots. So, qualifying was not easy. It’s a great achievement that we had a gymnast from Azerbaijan among the 16. As the President mentioned, we are now achieving good results in new sports as well. Of course, everyone hopes for even greater successes. The results of the last Olympic Games were highly praised by President Ilham Aliyev. The achievements we’ve made also satisfy us as the Ministry of Youth and Sports. I particularly want to emphasize the results of Hidayat Heydarov. Within one year, he became a European, world, and Olympic champion. I don’t know another athlete in Azerbaijan who won three prestigious titles in a year. Athletes like him will serve as excellent role models for others. We believe that in the coming years, we will have more athletes like him.
- Looking back at the year, were there any moments you regret or wish had gone differently?
- That’s a tough question. But yes, there were moments during the Olympic Games that we regretted. It was important for us to win the first gold medal. The psychological pressure during the games is intense. This year, our sports journalists also participated in the Olympics for the first time, which was an important factor. Every competition is an experience for all of us. Journalists, too, saw how excited the athletes were. We were very happy when the first medal was won. After that, our appetite grew (laughs). We realized we had a chance. We also wished for our wrestler Hasrat Jafarov to become Olympic champion. Although young, he has great potential. However, sports don’t always go the way you expect. Many factors play a role. We were also hoping for a gold medal from our boxer Alfonso Dominguez. And our taekwondo athlete Gashim Magomedov—he was part of the Azerbaijan Taekwondo Federation, which showed a 100% result. He won a silver medal in the Olympics, even though we were hoping he would win the final. Unfortunately, he got injured. We could see how hard the federations were working. Everyone was working together. For example, Hanna Skydan reached the finals for the first time in her fourth Olympic Games. Our rhythmic gymnastics team, competing in the group exercises for the first time, placed 5th. They were very close to a medal.
- Which athletes did you expect medals from, but who left you disappointed?
- I won’t mention their names (laughs). Because we need to support our athletes. Negative comments could demotivate them. The athletes themselves want to achieve results the most. We discussed our predictions for the results with the federations ahead of time. Based on analysis, we had certain expectations. Yes, there were athletes from whom we expected more, but again, this is sports.
- What was your impression of the Olympic Games in which you participated for the first time as a minister?
- I attended the Beijing Summer Olympics for the first time in 2008. I really liked that competition. The atmosphere in the Olympic Village was excellent. I got to see famous athletes from around the world. I was 29 years old at the time. I’ve attended other Olympics since then. But as a minister, my first Olympic experience was last year at the Beijing Winter Olympics. What’s the difference? For me, staying in the Olympic Village is the most interesting part. But at the Paris Olympics, I was there as an official. I had many important meetings there. The whole sports world was present. We were quite busy. For the first time in Olympic history, we organized the "Azerbaijan House" at the Olympics. We have a very nice Cultural Center in Paris, and there, we hosted many federations every day. We talked about Azerbaijan, promoted our country, and also held various events.
- The issue of foreign athletes in national teams has always been a topic of discussion. One of the best results by a foreign athlete representing Azerbaijan was by Loren Alfonso, who won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics but was criticized. There were opinions that if a local Azerbaijani athlete had been in the final instead of Loren, they would have certainly won the championship. How will the issue of foreign athletes be managed in upcoming prestigious competitions?
- Foreign athletes are mostly in sports that are new to us. Young athletes need to learn from professional athletes. That’s why I think it’s okay to invite foreign athletes. However, there was a time when their number grew too large. Frankly, I didn’t understand that. We are working with federations to reduce the number of foreign athletes. I can say that their numbers have decreased significantly. But we still have issues in heavy sports, where we don’t have enough athletes. The selection process needs improvement. Unfortunately, we lack specialists. We are working to address this. As you know, good specialists don’t emerge quickly. We also want to make some changes at the Sports Academy. That’s why we are first inviting specialists from abroad. Everything is developing rapidly, and the systems are different. We need to train more local specialists, so there is more competition. Then, even if foreign athletes are brought in, our local athletes will be better than them.
- Do federations consult with the Ministry before inviting foreign athletes to national teams, or do they make decisions independently?
- They ask for our permission when inviting foreign athletes. However, the rules and conditions have become much stricter.
- It is essential for athletes’ development that they participate in international competitions. Not only do they experience the atmosphere there, but they also gain valuable experience. Do federations have enough financial resources to send athletes to international competitions?
- President Ilham Aliyev stated clearly during his meeting with athletes that without the state’s support, this would not be possible. This support has been ongoing for years. Our ministry sends athletes to important international competitions. Sometimes federations send athletes at their own expense. In some cases, athletes go at their own expense. Of course, the main focus is on Olympic sports. But we also try to send athletes in other sports to competitions as well. We have the budget for this. However, some sports have more competitions, and athletes must participate in them. Federations are looking for more sponsors to ensure their athletes can compete in these events.
- The Winter Olympic Games will be held in Italy next February. Typically, Azerbaijan participates in the Winter Olympics as a participant country. How do you see our participation this time?
- We want athletes developed in Azerbaijan to compete in the Winter Olympic Games. It takes time to achieve this. In January 2025, the Ski World Cup will take place in Shahdag. Local athletes are starting to emerge there. A second international-standard ice rink has been in use for two years in Baku, and it is quite popular, with long queues. This is also good for the sustainability of the complex itself. Additionally, from this crowd, athletes emerge. Curling training has already started, with a Turkish coach invited for the beginning, as we can’t yet bring the best curling coach in the world. We have a team of amateur hockey players, who have already participated in several tournaments and even won. The younger generation looks up to them. It will take years to develop these sports. Recently, the girls training on this rink participated in a figure skating competition in Uzbekistan, which makes me very happy as the minister.
- What do you think should be done to encourage private companies to invest in sports?
- There should be some incentives for them. While they may not be completely exempt from taxes, there should be certain concessions. Currently, there is a discount, and we would like to see some changes to it. We hold regular meetings with the Ministry of Taxes on this matter, providing proposals that we need to substantiate. We would like more private companies to invest in sports. For this, changes need to be made to laws and regulations, especially the law on sports. We started working on this in the last two years and are close to completing it. We will soon present it to the National Assembly. Sponsors are willing to support mass events, especially when there is a large crowd. Speaking of state support, we also need to work harder ourselves. Sports marketing in Azerbaijan is not very strong. There are World and European Championships, stars come, but unfortunately, we don’t see many fans. We need to engage more with people here. For example, in the US, families attend baseball games together, and certain entertainment events are held to keep them entertained for 3-4 hours. This is something we need to implement in our country. Football is the biggest example of this. During the European Cup games of Qarabag, the Tofig Bahramov Stadium is packed, but local matches in the Azerbaijani league don’t draw fans. We aren’t inviting them correctly. We also have a role to play here. Fans are ready to support. There are crowds at regional matches, so they could come to Baku matches as well. We need to strengthen sports marketing. If we lack specialists, we should invite them from abroad.
- Ganja will be the main center for the upcoming CIS Games in our country next year. Which sports will take place where?
- An Organizing Committee for the CIS Games has been established, and the locations for each sport are determined. President Ilham Aliyev highlighted that there are complexes in nearly all regions of Azerbaijan, some of which will be renovated, and some will receive new equipment. The National Gymnastics Arena and Baku Aquatics Center were built for the 2015 European Games. These facilities are still in use today. Athletes from around the world come to Azerbaijan for training camps. As the President of European Gymnastics, I can say that I don’t know of another complex like the National Gymnastics Arena. A World Championship was held in Shooting, and the President of the International Federation, during his visit to Baku, mentioned that there are only 6-7 shooting centers like Baku’s in the world. The Aquatics Center is also stunning. These are significant milestones for the development of sports. A new stadium is being built in Ganja, which will be ready for the CIS Games. An Olympic-level sports complex is already in use there. A new sports complex is also being constructed in Yevlakh. Despite the challenges, I believe we can handle them. The CIS Games will include not only CIS countries but also invited nations. This event will help the development of sports in the region. The European Aerobic Championships will also be held in Ganja next year. We have the infrastructure and hotels to host international competitions in the regions. Tournaments have been held in Shusha and Qarabag, and three sports events took place in Khankendi. Recently, the national badminton championship was held as well. A shooting competition is planned to take place in Ganja during the CIS Games.
- What is your opinion on the current state of Azerbaijani football?
- I would like the Azerbaijan Premier League to have more teams and greater competition. The second half of the Premier League has finished, and the point difference between the first and second-place teams concerns me. Qarabag has been the champion for several years, but there is no team competing against them. If there were competition, Qarabag would improve. Today, we feel disappointed when Qarabag loses in European competitions and ask why they didn’t win, but let’s remember that in previous years, we couldn’t even make it past the initial stage. Yes, our football isn’t in its best days, and we must admit this. There should be joint efforts. We can’t blame AFFA or any clubs individually. What are we, as the Ministry, doing to improve football? Last year, we established the Ulduz Academy, attracting promising young players from the regions. The children from rural Baku areas live together, attend the same school, and train together. If you look at our lower age groups, you’ll see the academy’s teams at the top. However, they still lose by large margins in international competitions, but these are new teams, and I believe they need more experience. We’ve hosted three international tournaments for kids, the last one in Guba. Unfortunately, Uzbekistan’s U15 team defeated our clubs. We now understand that Uzbek football has surpassed us at the U15 level. Belarus’ U15 team also won another tournament. However, we see growth with each competition. The kids need experience and should regularly participate in international tournaments to help our players develop. In recent years, players like Badavi Huseynov, Bahlul Mustafazada, Toral Bayramov, Nariman Akhundzada, and Elvin Cafarquliyev have shown great potential. They have developed over the last 3-4 years. Nariman has gained more chances in recent games, and Elvin can comfortably play in Europe’s top leagues. There is great potential, and with international experience, they will improve. Much work remains to be done in football. More competitions should be held, and investment in youth football is necessary. We are starting to do that. At the same time, we must pay attention to infrastructure and renovate our stadiums. Many arenas in our regions need repairs. But we can’t do this alone; sponsors are needed. For instance, if we repair a stadium, there needs to be a team playing there, and the stadium will need maintenance. True, we now have a second division, which didn’t exist a few years ago, so there’s progress. Of course, like fans, we also want our national team to achieve results similar to those of neighboring Georgia, but at the club level, we are ahead of them. We need to invest more in youth football to develop top-level players for our national team. The key is to have a plan. For instance, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has a strategy until 2030, and we have communicated this to all federations. Some of them have already completed their own strategies, and football is now beginning to draft its strategy. The strategy is essential because it clarifies what we want.
- Speaking of strategy, what are your expectations regarding the sports that will make their Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games?
- I would like to see weightlifting featured at the Los Angeles Olympics. We have a weightlifter, Dadash Dadashbayli, who is a European champion and a world runner-up, and we have high hopes for him. Along with weightlifting, I would also like Azerbaijan to be represented in equestrian sports once again.
- Field hockey is considered a traditional sport in our country. Are there plans to revive this sport?
- Unfortunately, the Field Hockey Federation has been closed due to certain issues. I cannot offer good news about the opening of a new federation at this time, as there has been no progress. Aside from modern pentathlon and field hockey, all Olympic sports are being developed in Azerbaijan.
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