Azerbaijan has achieved big results in sport this year, not only winning the high number of medals, but also successfully organizing inaugural Baku 2015 European Games in June.

Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva has been named the Sports Personality of the Year by the Azerbaijan Sports Journalists Association.

The inaugural European Games Baku 2015 was a spectacular success, and a wonderful way to add the missing fifth ring to the Continental Games of the world, the European Olympic Committees statement said at the 44th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committee held in Prague, Czech Republic

The next General Assembly of the European Olympic Committee in Prague will discuss the second European Games, the Youth and Sport Ministry reported.

Today, Azerbaijan is known in the international arena as an authoritative country, pursuing an independent policy, prominent for its principal position, and making a valuable contribution to solving global problems.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev received the Fair Play award from the European Fair Play Movement on October 8.

Azerbaijani athletes showed their best this summer at the inaugural European Games in Baku, winning second place in the overall ranking, and have now thrust themselves into preparations for the Summer Olympic Games.

The Baku 2015 European Games has been entered into the history of sports in Europe. The inaugural European Games set the bar for the new continental sporting competitions that will be held in Europe once in 4 years. European sports officials admit that the sporting event held in Baku on June 12-28 was not any less important than the summer Olympic Games.

The first European Games have significantly contributed to the development of the tourism sector in Azerbaijan, the Tourism Ministry said.

The inaugural European Games in Baku attracted many young people ready to spend their time and energy as volunteers to help in the organization of the high-level event. Eighteen physically challenged people were among them.