Rowing promises brilliant future for Azerbaijani sports

By AzerNews

Rowing is one of the developing sports in Azerbaijan, with roots going back to the Soviet period. The Yacht Club, located in the seaside park of Baku (the Boulevard) was the first to draw youth to rowing.

The increasing interest in rowing in the country necessitated commissioning of the Mingachevir Kur Rowing Olympic Center for training. It gave a further impetus to the development of rowing in Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijan National Rowing Federation (AMAF) is in charge of supervising this interesting sport in country. It is a member of the International Rowing Federation (FISA) and the International Canoe Federation (ICF), the umbrella organization of national canoe organizations of the world. Azerbaijani rowers take an active part in various international competitions, European and world championships.

In November 2009 Azerbaijan hosted an international regatta which gathered oarsmen from Ukraine, Russia, Iran and Georgia. A world-class sports center constructed on the Kura river paved the way for arranging the competition at a very high level.

The progress of rowing in Azerbaijan and the quality of training for our sportsmen impressed the top representatives of the worldwide rowing sport.

"The current condition of the rowing sport creates belief in a brilliant future for the Kura rowing center," President of the International Canoe Federation Jose Perurena and President of the European Canoe Association Albert Woods said.

Azerbaijan encourages this sport. The Kura sports center, which is now a brand new and modern sporting village, has ten buildings. The rowing center is one of the finest in the world of water sports. The restoration of this center is seen as a key development in the Azerbaijani and international Olympic movement. The center is charged to bring world rowing sport back to the Kura center and to become the training center of choice, not only for the national team of Azerbaijan, but also for combined teams - the leaders of world rowing. The Kura center offers every opportunity to achieve this goal.

Rowing experiences enjoy sustainable development in Azerbaijan. Domestic competitions are organized for local athletes to test their strength and prepare for world-level contests. Different championships involving rowers from a plethora of countries are held to drive the development of this sport in Azerbaijan and promote the country's capabilities in rowing.