SOCAR to promote Baku 2015 European Games
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan's State Oil Company SOCAR has become an official partner of Baku 2015 European Games.
The Azerbaijan's energy giant is involved in exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate, marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in the domestic and international markets. It also supplies natural gas to the industrial and the public sectors in Azerbaijan.
The deal will see Baku 2015 European Games logo published on every SOCAR forecourt and outlet across the entire country to raise awareness of the event.
SOCAR will also help promote the European Games around the continent thanks to a marketing campaign that will be carried out in four other countries, including Switzerland, Georgia, Romania and Ukraine.
Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports and Baku 2015 Chief Executive Officer Azad Rahimov said: "The event is an opportunity to introduce Azerbaijan to the rest of the world and to this end having the support of such a highly valued international company is of vital importance. We are very pleased to have the full support of SOCAR and all its staff ahead of Baku 2015."
President of SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev said: "We are very proud to be supporting the Baku 2015 European Games as it is the biggest sporting event ever to come to Azerbaijan."
"Sponsorships in sport is a very significant point for us, and SOCAR is honored to be associated with such an exciting moment in the history of the country," he said.
"The European Games will help leave a lasting legacy of positive change, and we are extremely happy to be playing a role in the project," he added.
SOCAR has become the fifth official partner of Baku 2015, joining P&G, Tissot, BP and Nar Mobile.
President of the European Olympic Committees Patrick Hickey said: "To have the support of a number of high-profile international businesses is essential to any major sports event, and the calibre of partners that Baku 2015 has secured so far will no doubt lead to a wonderful first edition of the European Games."
For his turn, Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015 Simon Clegg added: "As we continue to count down the days until the beginning of the European Games, it gives us a great deal of confidence to know that many major Azerbaijani businesses are backing our efforts to create an innovative event that will unite Europe through sport."
Baku European Games 2015 is an exciting and innovative new multi-sport event for the continent, which will take place in June 12-28, 2015. The games will include a total of 20 sports that will gather more than 6,000 athletes.