Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

The opening ceremony of the 36th Congress of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) was held in Baku on November 25.

Azerbaijan's Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov, addressing the ceremony greeted over 200 representatives from 89 countries.

He noted that the development of sport is among priorities of the state policy of Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan successfully conducted important sporting events. Our country hosted the first European Games "Baku-2015" at the highest level. Competitions in kayak and canoe, which were attended by over 350 athletes, aroused great interest," he said.

Rahimov further added that next year Azerbaijan will host the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games

"All this is a positive indicator of care to the development of sport in Azerbaijan. Our athletes were successful in competitions in kayak and canoe at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio both among women and men. They won silver and bronze," said the minister.

Rahimov expressed his gratitude for the trust by management of the ICF to Azerbaijan for holding the 36th Congress in Baku and wished success to the Congress.

Speaking at the event ICF President Jose Perurena Lopez, said that the congress also features election of the president and vice presidents of the International Canoe Federation, as well as chairpersons responsible for canoe sprint, canoe slalom and canoe-marathon.

Moreover, the member federations will also review a report on the implementation of the ICF`s 2016-2020 development program, and consider proposals of the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and the national federations.

In Baku, it was possible to reach an agreement on funding of construction of canal for rowing competitions.

Albert Woods, President of the European Canoe Association made this statement while talking to reporters in Baku.

He stressed that the Congress is organized at a high level, adding that Azerbaijan pays great attention to the development of rowing sports in the country.

"The support of the Azerbaijani government, the Youth and Sports Ministry, as well as the National Federation deserves respect," Woods said.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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