Ilham Aliyev and Mehriban Aliyeva meet with athletes who succeeded in 5th Islamic Solidarity Games

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have met with the country’s athletes who succeeded in the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games.

"You returned to your homeland from Konya a few days ago, and you have returned with a great victory. You have once again raised the sporting glory of our country. I would like to congratulate you on this occasion from the bottom of my heart and express my gratitude for the achievements you have made," the head of state noted.

He noted that the people of Azerbaijan are proud of them because they have once again shown the whole world that Azerbaijan is a sports nation. "As a result of a very close competition, we finished the Games in fourth place. Let me also say that the countries were represented by the strongest athletes in the Games. Our athletes have once again shown the strength of our country by winning 99 medals, 29 of which are gold medals," Ilham Aliyev said.

In total, athletes from 56 countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation took part in the games. The competitions were held at 14 venues in Konya.