Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

Read more

Azerbaijan will host the 3rd CIS Games for the first time, Azernews reports.

The event will span seven cities and feature competitions in 23 sports. Among the most anticipated by spectators is trampoline gymnastics. The competitions in this discipline will take place in the city of Shaki.

The Azerbaijani national team is actively preparing for the upcoming event. Both girls and boys will be competing.

The training camps, the finalization of the roster, and work on synchronized performances — all are part of the comprehensive preparation process, which is now approaching its final stage. Both male and female athletes will test their strength in the competition.

Head coach of Azerbaijan's national trampoline gymnastics team, Vladimir Shulikin, shared details about the preparation process:

"Athletes born in 2009 and earlier will compete in the 3rd CIS Games. The national team's preparation is nearly complete, although the final lineup has not yet been determined. Four female athletes have been selected, while there are six male candidates, of whom four will make the final team. The preparation is going according to plan, and all necessary conditions have been created for us."

The coach pointed out that the level of the upcoming competition will be high:

"Strong rivals from Russia and Belarus will come to Shaki, including a two-time Olympic champion. Gymnasts from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and several other countries have also confirmed their participation. The competition will be held at the highest level. We also have our own leaders, particularly Seljan Mahsudova, who will be fighting for a medal. In synchronized performances, both our male and female athletes have good chances. Since the tournament is being held in Azerbaijan, we must do our best to achieve successful results. We hope to win approximately four medals."

Shulikin also noted that trampoline gymnastics is rapidly developing in Azerbaijan:

"Trampoline gymnastics has been developing in our country for about 12 years, but significant achievements have already been made. Thanks to the efforts of the Gymnastics Federation, a school was created virtually from scratch, and as a result, for the first time, an Azerbaijani athlete qualified for the Olympic Games. This success sparked great interest in the sport and significantly increased its popularity among the youth. Previously, many people didn’t even know what trampoline gymnastics was, but now interest in this sport is growing day by day. We are confident that our athletes will represent Azerbaijan with honor at the 3rd CIS Games."

The 3rd CIS Games will be held from September 28 to October 8.