The World University Games held in Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region have been eventful from the very start. The day after the opening, Azerbaijani athletes already entered competition mode, and today there are real chances to win the first medal.
According to special correspondent of Idman.biz in Germany, the main competition venue for the teams based in the city of Essen is the Messe Essen complex.
From early morning, competitions in taekwondo, fencing, table tennis, and rhythmic gymnastics are held here. The halls are very convenient for athletes, spectators, and journalists, they can easily move between halls and follow different events. For example, yesterday began with women’s foil and men’s sabre competitions, continued with table tennis, and concluded with group performances in the all-around event.
Our team, consisting of Laman Alimuradova, Darya Sorokina, Gullu Aghalarzada, Yelyzaveta Luzan, and Kamilla Aliyeva, performed their routine with five ribbons as the penultimate group and scored 24.150 points. This result allowed our team to surpass Ukraine, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, taking the lead. However, the medals will be determined by the second performance involving three balls and two hoops.
Overall, the organization of the Universiade is considered satisfactory. However, participants of the previous Universiade held in Chengdu remember China with nostalgia, according to general opinion, that multi-sport forum even surpassed the Olympics held in Paris. European Universiades have their own unique features, for example, at the games held in Naples a few years ago, athletes lived aboard a cruise ship.
The exact number of participants in the Student Games is still unclear. Organizers casually state that the Universiade has brought together over 9,200 participants from more than 150 countries, a record number. But the accuracy of this statement raises doubts, as only 104 delegations attended the opening ceremony. What happened to the remaining 46 countries remains a mystery, and we await a substantiated explanation.
Zaki Feyzullayev
Idman.biz
