Azerbaijan Taekwondo Championship has kicked off in Baku Sports Palace. The championship is timed to the 100th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, Azernews reports.

The National Anthem of Azerbaijan was played at the beginning of the event. A video dedicated to the National Leader Heydar Aliyev was also presented to the audience.

The Azerbaijan Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gaibov recalled that Baku hosted the World Championships this May to mark the 50th anniversary of the World Taekwondo Federation.

He underlined that the holding of the World Taekwondo Championships was another major success for Azerbaijan.

Stressing that President Ilham Aliyev pays care and attention to all sports, the minister said that the head of state recently provided apartments to two taekwondo fighters.

Farid Gaibov also highly appreciated the successful performance of Gashim Magomedov, who received a license for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Noting that the competition is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev, President of the Azerbaijan Taekwondo Federation Kamaleddin Heydarov said that the country's leadership pays attention to the development of all sports.

He added that the history of taekwondo in Azerbaijan does not go back many years, but Azerbaijani athletes have already achieved impressive success.

Note that taekwondo is one of the most popular sports in Azerbaijan. The National Taekwondo Federation has trained many prominent athletes since its founding in 1992. Many of those athletes now enjoy international recognition.

Furthermore, a video about the World Championships held in Baku was shown. The event continued with an artistic part.

In total, 76 teams from Baku, Sumgayit, and Absheron are taking part in Azerbaijan Taekwondo Championship, which ends on December 28.

Taekwondo fighters, who showed the best results in junior competitions were awarded with medals. President of the Azerbaijan Taekwondo Federation Kamaladdin Heydarov, the Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gaibov, Vice-President of the National Olympic Committee Chingiz Huseynzade, the South Korean Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Eun Yong presented the medals to the winners.