"We consider the result achieved by the Azerbaijani team at the Olympic Festival to be satisfactory. However, we believe it could have been even better."
According to Idman.biz, these words were said in a statement to AZERTAC by the Head of the Sports Department of the National Olympic Committee (NOC), Hasanaga Rzayev, while evaluating the performance of Azerbaijani athletes at the 18th European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), held in Skopje and Kumanovo (North Macedonia) and Osijek (Croatia), where the team won 10 medals (3 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze).
According to him, the Azerbaijani team has had even better results in EYOF history: “In 2007, we won 7 gold medals in Belgrade. Four of those were in judo, and three in athletics. Judo is considered a core sport for us. Historically, our best EYOF results have been in judo. Compared to previous years, our shooters performed well this time. Our gymnasts also showed good results. Although they reached the finals, due to injuries and other reasons, they couldn't make it to the podium.”
The NOC official stated that success at EYOF is important for young athletes in reaching Olympic goals: “I want to emphasize Olympic values such as friendship, respect, and solidarity. Through such tournaments, athletes learn these values from a young age. They stay in the athletes’ village, interact with many others, and experience a completely different atmosphere. New friendships and good relations are formed, and connections are expanded. This helps them gain great experience and allows our young athletes to participate in future Olympic Games with more confidence and composure.”
More than 4,000 athletes aged 14–18 from 50 European countries competed in 15 sports at “Skopje-2025.” Team Azerbaijan participated in 10 sports with a total of 52 athletes (28 boys, 24 girls).
Idman.biz
