A VK correspondent discussed the perspectives of sport in Azerbaijan with the head of the Azerbaijani delegation at the Youth Olympic Games, Mirkamil Ragimov, the head of the Sports Department at the Azerbaijani Ministry of Youth and Sports.
- You have just come back from Singapore, where the Youth Olympic Games were held. How did the Azerbaijani team prepare?
- These Games were different from the others. The program was reduced. Our team consisted of 12 sportsmen, 8 of them won medals, 5 gold and 3 silver.
- What can tell us about the organization of the Olympics?
- Singapore has provided all the necessary conditions. Everything was quite comfortable. Local schoolchildren even made some kind of museum devoted to Azerbaijani history and culture. It was very nice.
- The results of the Olympics were good for Azerbaijan. Your national team has taken 11th place. That's a very good achievement. Was the Olympic Committee surprised?
- Not, really. Our team performed rather successfully during the elimination games and in the first days of the Olympics we won 4 medals. So such results were predictable. You see, we were preparing for these Games. We were provided with all necessities. Our sportsmen had good training with experienced coaches. The Azerbaijani Government and President Ilkham Aliyev pay special attention to the development of sports in the country. We were supported well enough to have such good results.
- And what kind of sports are supported above all?
- All kinds of sports are supported by the Government. According to President Ilkham Aliyev's order all Olympic kinds of sports are supported by the special governmental programs.
Ramin Naziev, Baku. Exclusively for VK.
