by Elmira Tariverdiyeva, Baku. Exclusively for VK
Azerbaijan announced 2012 as the Year of Sports. The country has achieved success in the years of independence, acknowledged by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Baku was approved as a candidate to host the 2020 Olympic Games. Baku became one of the six candidates to organize the games in September 2011, together with Madrid, Rome, Tokyo, Istanbul and Doha. Stage-by-stage selection of the city will be held in Buenos Aires on September 7, 2013.
Baku offered to host the 2016 Olympic Games, but lost the competition to Rio de Janeiro. A lot has changed since then, the country built the necessary infrastructure for the games. Azerbaijan took attended the Olympic Games for the first time in 1996.
Azerbaijan spends about 10 million manats (10 million euro) on sport development annually. This includes construction of sports facilities all over the country. 9.7 million manats were provided in 2012, additional 5.7 million manats for the Olympic Games in London.
The country with a population of 9 million people has Olympic complexes in 33 districts. 10 more are under construction, with 3-4 of them to be completed this year. All districts with a population of 80,000-100,000 have free groups of Olympic sports, assisted by the Ministry for Sports. A total of 9489 sports facilities, three sports centers, 128 stadiums, 2202 sports halls, 58 swimming pools have been built in the years of independence. New facilities will be built if Azerbaijan becomes the host of the 2020 Olympic Games, according to the Candidature File. The National Olympic Committee has already announced plans for construction. The Candidature File presented in Lausanne (Switzerland) gives information on sports facilities and infrastructure to be built, their locations and capacity.
Chingis Guseynzade, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee, has described the plans for construction of the Olympic Village on the territory currently used by the Azerneftyag oil refinery: The refinery, regardless of whether the Olympic Games are held in Baku or any other place, will be moved anyway. But the Olympic Village will only be built if Baku is elected as the host of the 2020 Olympic Games”. 150 hectares of land occupied by the refinery will be just enough for the Olympic Village, with housing, canteens, recreation centers, clinics and other essential facilities. Regarding the central sports arena for 60,000 spectators for the main games and the opening and closing ceremonies, it will be built in the Beyukyur Village.
Specialists are preparing for construction of the football with a capacity of 65,000 spectators and a sports complex for free calisthenics. Azerbaijan has the Kyur Olympic complex for rowing sports, suitable for hosting European and world championships.
The Azerbaijani Ministry for Youth and Sports said that Baku is the top state in the social polls held by the Games Bids website. It has received 50.63% of votes.
The population of Baku is ready for Olympic guests. Social polls carried out by TNS Global say that 95% of Azerbaijani population approves Baku as the host for the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2020. Samai Mamedova, head of the press service of the Ministry for Youth and Sports, said that social polls of December 2011 show approval by 93% of the population.
50% of inhabitants of Baku, Ganja and Sumgayit participating in the polls say that they would buy tickets for the Olympic Games if they are hosted by Baku. 305 expressed readiness for voluntary support of realization of the initiative.
Such unanimous attitude of Azerbaijanis is not surprising, because the first Olympic Games in Azerbaijan would contribute to formation of a positive image of the country.
