Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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Neftchi Sports Club experienced one of the most successful years in its history last year, Azernews reports.

The club's athletes concluded the year with an impressive total of 1,172 medals.

One of the club's core priorities remains providing sustainable support for the development of Azerbaijani sports, and 2025 proved to be a truly memorable year in this regard.

Throughout the year, Neftchi Sports Club not only organized regular competitions across various sports disciplines for employees of the oil, gas, and chemical industries, but also achieved notable success in training professional athletes.

Over the past year, Neftchi Sports Club recorded numerous accomplishments. Across sports facilities operating under the club’s structure, more than 2,000 children and young people, as well as hundreds of oil industry employees, are trained regularly in 26 different sports under the guidance of 117 professional coaches.

In 2025, the club also provided free physical education and sports services to SOCAR employees and their family members.

Within this framework, tournaments were held in table tennis, backgammon, chess, 3x3 basketball, volleyball, swimming, archery, mini-football, beach volleyball, cycling, athletics, billiards, and shooting. Nearly 1,000 oil workers took part in these competitions.

Based on the results of these tournaments, national teams representing SOCAR were formed in the respective sports disciplines. These teams participated throughout the year in 18 competitions organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports among employees of state institutions.

Their performances were highly successful, earning a total of 26 medals across 14 sports, including 6 gold, 10 silver, and 10 bronze. As a result of consistent performances in all tournaments organized by the Ministry, SOCAR secured second place among state institutions at the end of the year.

Significant achievements were also recorded in elite sports and professional athlete development. Neftchi Sports Club hosted open championships across various sports disciplines, where hundreds of athletes showcased their skills.

Athletes trained by the club delivered strong performances at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, the 3rd CIS Games held in Azerbaijan, as well as at European and World Championships for youth, juniors, and seniors, in addition to other prestigious international tournaments and national and city-level competitions. Overall, Neftchi athletes claimed 411 gold, 314 silver, and 447 bronze medals, totaling 1,172 medals.

In addition to individual combat sports, 2025 was also a successful year for the club's team sports.

Neftchi Sports Club's basketball team finished second in the Azerbaijani Championship during the 2024/2025 season and, for the first time in the club's history, competed in the group stage of the FIBA Europe Cup, ending the stage with 9 points. Meanwhile, the club's futsal team claimed the bronze medal in the Top League last season.

It is also worth noting that at the Ministry of Youth and Sports' annual awards ceremony titled "Sports Results of the Year 2025", winners were honored across various categories. Neftchi Sports Club secured second place in the "Best Sports Club of the Year" nomination. Club representatives Jale Aliyeva and Hasrat Jafarov were named "Best Female Athlete" and "Best Male Athlete" of the year, respectively, while Isa Rustamov placed third among the year's top athletes.

In the "Best Paralympian of the Year" category, all three awards went to representatives of Neftchi Sports Club: Ilham Zakiyev claimed first place, Roman Saley finished second, and Kamran Zeynalov secured third.