Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan has taken a laudable spot in the sports world.

The country creates all necessary opportunities for its sportsmen to gain valuable experience and exposure.

Thanks to the consistent efforts and successful sports policy of President Ilham Aliyev, who has headed the National Olympic Committee since 1997, Azerbaijan has become a leading sports country in the world.

Since 2005, March 5 has been celebrated annually in Azerbaijan as the Day of Physical Culture and Sports.

The date of the celebration on Monday (March 5) was specifically chosen to align with when the National Leader Heydar Aliyev met with medalists from the World and European Championships at Baku Sports Palace on March 5, 1995.

In connection with such a significant date, Azernews invites readers to look through the country's recent achievements in sports.

In 2023, Azerbaijani sportsmen achieved a historic milestone with a record-breaking 1472 medals.

Out of the total medal count, 799 medals (214 gold, 208 silver, and 377 bronze) were earned from the Olympics sports list, 587 medals (223 gold, 159 silver, and 205 bronze) from non-Olympic competitions, and 86 medals (27 gold, 31 silver, and 28 bronze) from the Paralympics sports list.

A total of 474 sporting events were organised across the country within the Year of Heydar Aliyev, drawing the participation of 64,925 individuals.

Of these, 89 events were hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and sports federations, attracting 32,190 participants. The remaining 385 events took place in various regions of the country, with 32,735 participants.

At the same time, 81 mass sporting events were held as a part of 13 nationwide projects, bringing together a total of 36,600 individuals.

One of the key factors driving sports development in Azerbaijan is the construction of state-of-the-art sports facilities, including stadiums, training centers, and sports complexes.

These facilities not only provide athletes with top-notch training environments but also attract international competitions and events.

Azerbaijan was chosen as a venue for major international sporting events like European Games 2015, Islamic Solidarity Games 2017, UEFA Europa League Final 2019, Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, Artistic Gymnastics World Cup, Baku Open 2023 International Chess Festival, Baku 2023 World Taekwondo Championships 2023, World Chess Cup, Azerbaijan Grand Prix, etc.

On December 21, Azerbaijan witnessed a historical event. After a 30-year break, the match Qarabağ FC-MOIK (Sports Club of Army) was held at Khankandi Stadium.

For the first time, the Azerbaijani people had the opportunity to watch a match live at the city stadium in Khankandi, where reconstruction work was completed, which was attended by President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva.

This grandiose event remained in memory as one of the most important events in the history of Azerbaijani sports.

The year 2024 started with the first ever Khankandi-Baku Ultramarathon, under the slogan "Forward with pride!".

The ultramarathon became the first international race organised in Azerbaijan's territories, liberated from almost thirty years of occupation.

A total of 64 athletes from Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Moldova, and Mexico covered a distance of 380 kilometres from Khankandi to Baku.

Azerbaijani runner Artyom Aliyev was the first to reach the finish line of the 380-kilometer distance and became the winner of the marathon. Yadigar Huseynov finished second, and Seymur Shahbazov finished third.

The prizes were presented to the winners by Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov, President of the Azerbaijan Athletics Federation Javid Gurbanov, and Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee Azer Aliyev.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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