Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan'snewly created Triathlon Federation was presented in the capital city of Baku on September 4.

The presentation of the Federation, which was established in August, was attended by the President of the European Triathlon Union Renato Bertrandi and members of the International Triathlon Union, the Youth and Sports Ministry said.

A triathlon is an Olympic sport involving the completion of three disciplines, including swimming, cycling and running.

At the event, Executive Director of the Federation Azer Maharramov spoke about the plans of the Federation and discussed issues of cooperation with the event participants.

Currently, there are some 70 sports federations in Azerbaijan, and 27 of them cover Olympic sports, while 43 deal with non-Olympic ones.

According to Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov, the newly established Federation will attract foreign experts and athletes. At present, talks are underway to attract foreign coaches.

"Taking into account that triathlon includes several sports, an integrated approach to its development is needed, and a system to train local staff should be created. But initially, we will not be able to succeed without foreign athletes," Rahimov said.

Despite the fact that triathlon is a new sport for Azerbaijan, in June, Baku hosted the 9th mini triathlon competition that was open for all -- adults and children alike, consisting of an indoor swimming competition for the distance of 500 m, a 20 km bicycle ride and a 5 km run.