Baku 2015 European Games website launched
By Sabina Idayatova
The 2015 European Games Organizing Committee on July 12 launched the www.baku2015.com website, the official source of news from Baku European Games 2015.
The launch of the website is dedicated to a very special date in the history of the inaugural European Games, "700 days to go", the start of the countdown to June 12, 2015, the first day of the European Games due in the Azerbaijani capital.
The official website allows visitors from all over the world to learn about the first European Games' mission, location and scale, sports and venues, and to familiarize themselves with the geography, history, economy, sports and culture and many other important spheres of Azerbaijan. It also provides information about the Baku city's history, social life, transport and other important details.
The website, which will be regularly updated, will cover the progress in the preparations for the 2015 European Games and will include interactive sections for people involved in the Games as visitors, volunteers, sports fans, media representatives, etc.
At the 41st EOC General Assembly in Rome on December 7-8, 2012, the 49 National Olympic Committees of Europe voted by an overwhelming majority of 84 percent approval in a secret ballot for Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to be the host city for the inaugural European Games in 2015. The opening ceremony of the European Games, an historical event for the European world of sports and culture, will take place on Friday, June 12, 2015 and the closing ceremony on Sunday, June 28, 2015.
This is another example of the commitment of Azerbaijan to promoting and developing sports in the country and internationally. The fact that Azerbaijan has been entrusted to host the Games taking place for the first time in the history of Europe indicates high appreciation by the international and European Olympic movement of the country's dedication, efforts and achievements in the field of sports and culture.
Thus, Azerbaijan is becoming one of the world's sport centers, which is associated with both its sporting success and with the organization of global and European championships and events, as well as prestigious international competitions in the country. This includes hosting a series of landmark events, such as the European Masters Weightlifting Championship, the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest and FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in 2012 alone. In 2013, the country also hosted the IFSC Climbing World Cup and F2 Baku Grand Prix. In the coming years, Azerbaijan plans to host a number of high-level championships and competitions, including the World Cup 2015, International Chess Olympics 2016 and the AIPS Congress World Sports Press Association in 2014. The city has also been nominated to host the IV Islamic Solidarity Games 2017.
Governed by Clause 32 of Article 109 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan and in order to properly conduct the 2015 inaugural European Olympic Games in Baku, President Ilham Aliyev ordered to establish the Organizing Committee for conducting the inaugural European Olympic Games in Baku in June and July 2015, which is chaired by First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, member of the Executive Committee of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.