Baku to present report on Islamic Solidarity Games
By Nigar Orujova
Jeddah will host the Coordination Committee for the Islamic Solidarity Games and the second Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers.
The Azerbaijani National Olympic Committee reported that Azerbaijan will present a report on the IV Islamic Solidarity Games during the Ministerial Conference on March 17.
Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov, Vice-President of Azerbaijan's National Olympic Committee and vice president of Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation Chingiz Huseynzade, Head of International Relations Department of the NOC, the member of the executive committee ISSF Kenul Nurullayeva and others plan to attend the first meeting of the Coordination Committee on March 16.
Baku will host the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017.
The Games, which will bring together athletes from 57 countries, will be held under the slogan "Solidarity is our power". More than 160 Azerbaijani sportsmen will participate in the Games. The Muslim religion of all athletes is not a pre-condition for participation in the competition.
The Islamic Solidarity Games is a multinational, multi-sport event involving the elite athletes of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the UN with 57 member states spread over four continents.
The first of the ISG tournaments was held in 2005 in Saudi Arabia with an Olympic-style tournament aimed at showing Muslim sports prowess and featuring 6,000 athletes.