Valery Murtazin: "A friendly atmosphere reigns in the hall and around the city of Baku"

At the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku Azerbaijan is hosting the first World Cup of the International Federation of Gymnastics Trampoline. The tournament will last for two days, today the qualifying performances in individual and synchronized programs for men and women were contested. The head coach of Kazakhstan's trampoline and tumbling track Valery Murtazin, on the eve of the opening of the Trampoline World Cup, shared with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza his impressions of the organization of the competitions.

- Have you been to Baku before? How do you evaluate the organization of the competition?

-  This is my first time in Baku, but I heard a lot about this city. The coaches of gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics came here often for the competitions organized by the Gymnastics Federation of Azerbaijan. Now I see with my own eyes the modern equipment, very good facilities, excellent conditions. The hotel and SPA are at as high a level as anything else. The newest modern sports equipment is here. But the most interesting and enjoyable thing is the friendly atmosphere. There are very hospitable people – always carrying, helping, not only in the hall, but throughout the city. I think this World Cup will be held at a high, high level. And we will try to show the best results from our side.

- What are your expectations for the tournament?

- The strongest athletes arrived from Kazakhstan, because these events will be the next stage of preparation for a major launch, test competitions to be held in Rio de Janeiro in April. Our athletes have been selected for this test in the World Cup competition. We will try our program here. We hope that good results will be shown. Who does not dream of a medal?

- How do you assess the level of sports cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan?

- Our national team for the first time came here to Azerbaijan. Here we were at a training camp for quite a long time. We became friends! The boys helped each other, on insurance, on joint training. There is sports solidarity. The sports life goes. It's nice that the tournament is held in a friendly atmosphere.