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Baku 2017: First teams arrive as city prepares to kick into action

08 May 2017 [13:15] - TODAY.AZ

By Azernews


By Laman Ismayilova

Athletes have started to arrive in Azerbaijan ahead of the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games, with the first football group matches on May 8 and the handball competition beginning the following day.

At the athletes' village, situated between the Baku Olympic Stadium and the National Gymnastics Arena, flags of Morocco, Cameroon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Palestine are hanging from the windows and show that the Games are ready to spark into life.

The first delegations are busy settling in at the complex that can house all 3,500 athletes from the 57 nations taking part, and some teams are even conducting training sessions in the park.

Security is tight at the entrance to the village, which was originally built for the inaugural European Games two years ago, and the same can be expected at all 16 venues to be used for the 20 different sports.

Entertainment has also been organized to help ease the pressure of competing thousands of miles from home.

A large stage has been constructed for live music and athletes can also use a Formula One simulator that has had the entire Baku city circuit installed, ahead of the second Grand Prix in the Azerbaijani capital on June 23- 25.

"Everyone is very friendly, the housing is good. For us coming from Africa we're not disorientated even with the food," said Cameroon's national football team press officer Philippe Boney at the village on Saturday.

"We're here to win at least a medal and with everyone arriving the pressure and adrenaline here are building."

Although strong teams with over 300 athletes have been named by Turkey (345) and Iran (300), Azerbaijan pins high hopes on its 335 athletes, who will compete in all 20 competitions.

Rhythmic gymnast Marina Durunda, 19, will bid for a possible five Solidarity Games gold medals in her first competition of the year after a hand injury.

"I know how important all the competitions here in Baku are," she told the official press service of the Games. “The other countries here will not be that strong, not all of the world is coming. I'm trying to be (confident) and I had the injury. But I was very good before and we're trying to get back into that shape, but thankfully I didn't get far off that shape, so I hope everything will be fine."

The home country also named a strong boxing squad, with former world amateur champions Javid Chalabiyev (bantamweight) and Magomedrasul Majidov (super heavyweight) included alongside 2012 Olympic heavyweight bronze medallist Teymur Mammadov, who carried the Azerbaijani flag at the Olympic opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro last summer.

Azerbaijan`s hopes will be pinned on 19 judo fighters (9 male, 10 female). The competitions will be held at Heydar Aliyev Sports Palace on May 13-16.

Athletes from Islamic countries will be representing their nations over 10 days of competition across 20 different sports which include 23 disciplines (Athletics and Para Athletics, Aquatics – Diving, Aquatics – Swimming, Aquatics – Water Polo, Basketball 3x3, Football, Gymnastics – Artistic, Gymnastics – Rhythmic, Wushu, Table Tennis, Handball, Judo and Blind Judo, Wrestling – Greco, Wrestling – Freestyle, Shooting, Tennis, Volleyball, Boxing, Zurkhaneh, Karate, Taekwondo and Weightlifting) in 16 world-class sporting venues in Baku.

Baku was awarded the Games at the General Assembly of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) in Jeddah in July 2013.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/sports/160920.html

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