Azerbaijan holds departure ceremony for Olympic team

Azerbaijan has hosted a departure ceremony for its Olympic team, Azernews reports.

The ceremony took place at the National Gymnastics Arena. The National Anthem of Azerbaijan was played at the event.

Welcoming the participants of the event, the Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov said that the athletes will go to the Olympics for the first time as representatives of a sovereign country whose territorial integrity has been restored. He stressed that he expects success from all the athletes who will participate in the Olympic Games.

Later, the memory of the martyrs and deceased sportsmen was commemorated with a 1-minute silence.

Then the flag bearers of Azerbaijan in Paris-2024 were announced. Female judoka Gultaj Mammadaliyeva and boxer Mahammad Abdullayev have been named Azerbaijani team's flag bearers for the opening ceremony at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games on July 26.

The event continued with the artistic part after the presentation of the specially designed sports uniforms of the representatives of Azerbaijan for the Olympic Games.

At the Paris Olympics, Azerbaijan will be represented by 48 athletes in 17 programs in 15 sports.

The 2024 Summer Olympics will take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

Paris will become the second city after London to host the Summer Olympics three times.

The Games will feature football, tennis, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, volleyball, weightlifting, basketball, fencing, taekwondo, athletics, wrestling, and other sports, as well as the debut of breakdancing as an Olympic event.