Azernews.Az

A distinguished international team of experts arrived in Baku this week to scout out the city and help to develop the best possible plan for the capital’s 2020 Olympic Bid, in conjunction with the Baku 2020 Bid Committee.

The experts, who flew in from all four corners of the world, were welcomed by the Baku 2020 Bid CEO, Konul Nurullayeva.

The multinational team, who are among the best and most experienced in the Olympic business, include British, Italian, Spanish, Greek, South African, Dutch, Australian, US and Canadian – and include experts in Olympic architecture, sport & venues; security, transport, accommodation and environment.

One of the experts, Bob Elphinston, from Australia, is recognised as one of the most respected sports administrators in the world, with a long involvement in international sport, particularly basketball, since 1961.

Mr Elphinston was General Manager for the Sydney Olympics 2000 Bid Company and was directly responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the 28 sports at the Olympic Games. In recognition of his significant contribution in bidding for and staging the "best Games ever", the International Olympic Committee (IOC) appointed him to the Olympic Program Commission and the IOC Evaluation Commission for the selection of the hosts of the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

Konul Nurullayeva said: "It is a pleasure and a privilege to welcome this highly distinguished team here in Baku. I am confident that, with their enormous experience and expertise, together we can develop an extremely high-quality bid."

"In Baku, we are investing billions of dollars to build a world-class sporting infrastructure. Thanks to our strong and stable economy, in the past three years, we have already started construction on a new Olympic Stadium, as well as an Olympic complex – and several new sports arenas are under also construction.

"The Olympic Family can be confident that we will deliver what we promise in our Bid."

Mr Elphinston said: "I have been taken by surprise by the beauty and vibrancy of Baku: the city is one of the world’s best-kept secrets and ripe for discovery.

"I think that together we can put together an extremely credible bid for Baku. Azerbaijan has a very young population – more than 50% are under the age of 30. Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Baku in 2020 has the potential to extend the Olympic ideals to millions of new hearts and minds."