Baku needs no new stadium for EURO 2020
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan will not build any additional football stadium for the European Football Championship in 2020, said Azad Rahimov, Youth and Sports Minister.
"I don’t think we'll have to do it. At the moment, the construction of the Olympic Stadium with 68,000 capacities is coming to end, and the stadium named after Tofig Bahramov meets the highest standards,” he said.
The minister said that some of the stadiums can be reconstructed based on the specific requirements.
“I'm sure that before the competition, representatives of FIFA and UEFA will visit Azerbaijan and get acquainted with the preparatory process. If necessary, an additional work can be carried out. However, the construction of a brand new stadium for the European Championship is unreal," he noted.
Baku will host the quarterfinals and three group games of the UEFA EURO 2020, UEFA reported in September 2014.
The works at the Olympic Stadium in Baku are completed on 93-95 percent, he added. "I would especially like to point out that the Baku Olympic Stadium is the only sport facility among the structures built for the European Games, which will hold test competitions."
Azerbaijan's capital will be one of the 13 host cities of the European Football Championship in 2020, and along with Munich, Rome and Saint Petersburg will host quarterfinals and three group games each. London will host semi-finals and final games of the EURO.
The staging of UEFA EURO 2020 across Europe promises to provide a memorable football festival throughout the continent - and give some countries and cities the potential opportunity to be part of a tournament they may otherwise not be able to host.
Challenges ahead, Baku 2015
At present, Baku is chasing the time frame to get ready for the first European Games Baku 2015 that will start on June 12.
Addressing a press conference on the Baku 2015 European Games in the Russian capital, Rahimov said on February 14, that the official opening and closing ceremonies of the Baku 2015 will be vivid and colorful, with elements of the heritage of Azerbaijani culture and music.
“But the most important thing, as usual, is kept secret, as it happens in such cases,” he said.
Talking about the cultural program of the European games, Rahimov noted that Azerbaijan doesn’t intend to invite world famous stars, but all the cultural facilities in Baku will be open to tourists, and special cultural programs will be organized.
He added that all the necessary security measures will be taken during the event.
The minister also said the economic crisis had no effect on the organization of the games.
“The costs of financing this grand event were included into the state budget,” he added.
The biggest sporting event in Azerbaijan's history, the Baku 2015 European Games will attract more than 6,000 athletes to represent 50 countries in 20 sports during 17 days of competition.
The games will take place in 21 stadia and facilities in Baku and Mingachevir city.
Rahimov added that Moscow will host the presentation of the Baku 2015 European Games as part of the Week of Azerbaijan.
The minister added that aside from Moscow, Azerbaijan also plans to hold presentations of the first European games in Rome and London. Earlier, the Games were already presented in Paris, Cannes, Berlin, Athens, Istanbul and other major cities.
The registration has already begun for the journalists who will cover the first European games, and a media village will be prepared for them. The food supply question has been resolved as well, he added.
Rahimov said Azerbaijan has certain statistics on the results of the Olympic Games.
“I don’t want to think ahead, but there are benchmarks, which we will measure by, Judo, taekwondo, boxing, rowing, and gymnastics - these are the main sports where we expect rewards,” he said.
The minister said Azerbaijan held consultations with the European Olympic Committees.
“Naturally, we are interested in beach soccer, as the country has a lot of good beaches. We hope a momentum will be given to the development of this sport in the country,” he said.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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