Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

March 5 is marked as the Day of Physical Culture and Sports in Azerbaijan, according to a decree enacted by President Ilham Aliyev in 2005.

The celebration of the day on this date is not accidental. Namely, on March 5, 1995 National Leader Heydar Aliyev met with the champions and prize winners of the world and European championships at the Baku Sports Palace, established the Sports Foundation, as well as launched a new strategy on the development of physical culture and sports.

A series of sporting events devoted to the date are being held in the country through the Azerbaijani Ministry of Youth and Sports.

The Azerbaijani president's care for sports and athletes, as well as a number of orders to found new Olympic sports complexes represent contributions to the future development of Azerbaijani sports and call for mobilizing all people on this path. Not only in the capital Baku, but also in different regions of Azerbaijan modern Olympic complexes have been commissioned for the youth.

For example, the Winter-Summer Tourism Complex in Gusar, northern Azerbaijan, made a significant contribution to the development of sports.

All these are evidence of a systematic development policy of the Azerbaijani government.

First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, Mehriban Aliyeva, has made a great contribution to Azerbaijani sports.

Azerbaijan was chosen as a venue for major international tournaments to be held in the coming years. According to an agreement with the International Military Sports Council, the first world football cup among military men will be held in Baku on June 30-July 16, 2013.

2015 will be a great milestone in the sporting life of Azerbaijan. The organization of the first European Games in Baku will be the most important event in the sports history of the country.

The European Olympic Committee's General Assembly made a decision to grant Azerbaijan the right to host the first European Games, which will cast the country into international limelight.

According to the presidential decree, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva will chair the organizing committee for the European Games-2015 in Baku. Comprehensive preparations are being conducted by a skilled team.

Furthermore, Baku will host the 2015 World Chess Cup and 2016 World Chess Olympiad.

Azerbaijan is the only state among nearly 180 member countries of the FIDE that has adopted a special state program on the development of chess. Azerbaijan Chess Federation Vice President Faig Hasanov says that the Federation is successfully realizing the state program, which covers the years 2009-2014.

According to Hasanov, high-level tournaments have been held and a number of chess schools built throughout Azerbaijan as part of the five-year state program.

Furthermore, Baku Chess Palace will be opened for chess tournaments. For the first time the mentioned prestigious sports events will be held in the country. The decision again proves that today Azerbaijan is one of the sport centers in Europe and around the world.

Indeed, Azerbaijani sports are experiencing a period of rampant growth. The promotion of a healthy and active lifestyle of the youth is a key priority of the Azerbaijani government. For this purpose, a development strategy of the Azerbaijani youth covering the years 2013-2023, the national strategy on the development of physical culture and sport in 2012-2020, as well as a relevant state program for 2013-2016 will be prepared and implemented.

By 2020, the sports federations, sport clubs and sport schools of the country will be provided with specialized sports training and athletic facilities. Physical culture and sports facilities will continue to work on strengthening the logistics; personnel training will be further improved; social protection of experts working in the field will be strengthened.