Only one week remains until the start of the World Games, set to take place in Chengdu, China.
It will be one of the biggest multi-sport events of the year, Idman.biz reports.
Over 4,000 athletes from more than 100 countries will compete across 35 sports. The Games are held every two years, with the last edition taking place in Birmingham, USA, in 2022.
Azerbaijan will be represented in karate, kickboxing, and gymnastics. In gymnastics, our athletes will compete in acrobatics, tumbling, and aerobics.
World champion Mikhail Malkin will represent our country in tumbling. In acrobatics, our team earned three licenses. It includes two-time world champions, the mixed pair Aghasif Rahimov and Raziya Seyidli, as well as the men’s pair Murad Rafiyev and Daniel Abbasov. Additionally, the men's group, Riad Safarov, Rasul Seyidli, Abdulla Al-Mashaykhi, and Seymur Jafarov, will participate in the competition.
In aerobics, the mixed pair Vladimir Dolmatov and Madina Mustafayeva secured a spot in Chengdu by winning a silver medal at the World Championships held in Italy.
In karate, Azerbaijan will be represented by three-time world champion Irina Zaretska in the 68 kg weight category.
In kickboxing, the country earned a single license thanks to Amin Guliyev, who became European champion in Athens, Greece.
Our team includes athletes who have previously won medals at the World Games. At the 2022 Games in Birmingham, Mustafayeva and Dolmatov claimed a bronze medal in dance aerobics.
The tournament's slogan is “Sports without borders, endless wonders.” The mascots of the Games are Shu Bao the panda and Jin Zai the monkey. These two rare animal figures symbolize Chengdu as an ecologically clean, friendly, and hospitable city.
The World Games, scheduled for August 7–17, include non-Olympic sports that still have a large fan base. There is no doubt Chengdu will organize the event at the highest level, the city already proved its capabilities with the magnificent Summer Universiade held two years ago.
Zaki Feyzullayev
Idman.biz
