"Baku being named the world's sports capital was not given to us as a gift. It is the result of the work carried out over many years. Azerbaijan understands how important hosting competitions is for the development and promotion of sport."
İdman.Biz reports that these remarks were made by Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov.
The minister noted that the country hosted numerous international sporting events during the first half of the year and stressed that the programme will remain busy in the coming months.
"This process will continue in the second half of the year. As I have already mentioned, world and European championships, World Cups and other international tournaments in various sports will be held. At the same time, next year the FIFA U-20 World Cup will be organised in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan," Gayibov told AZERTAC.
The minister also highlighted another major event expected to be hosted by Azerbaijan next year – the SportAccord global sports gathering.
"This is not simply a competition, but one of the biggest events in the world of sport. Leaders of international federations and the International Olympic Committee participate, while various meetings, sessions and exhibitions are held," he said.
According to Gayibov, hosting major international competitions has already become a tradition in Azerbaijan.
"World Cups and Grand Prix events organised by a number of federations have been held in Azerbaijan for years and have established their place on the international calendar. Foreign representatives already know that international tournaments in various sports are held in Azerbaijan every year," the minister added.
