Baku 2015 European Games

[Galandar]

The 2015 European Games will be the inaugural edition of the European Games, a multi-sport event for European athletes. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2015

[Galandar]

European Games in Azerbaijan can be held on 19 kinds of sport

Baku – APA. A foreign company will assist our country in organizing the first European Games.

This company will be selected through tender. Such a step has been taken as there is no experience in this field, not only in Azerbaijan but also in Europe,” said the Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov at the press conference, APA reports.

According to Azad Rahimov, for now it has been specified that European Games will be held on 13 kinds of sport for the present. These are handball, volleyball, rugby, boxing, judo, taekwondo, triathlon, archery, equestrian sport, badminton, fencing, canoe, table tennis. Besides, competitions will also be held on two non-Olympic games: “We offered karate, because this kind of sport has developed in our country well. We had talks with the President of World Karate Federation Antonio Espinosa. He approached positively to the inclusion of karate into the program of the European Games. Pat Hickey, President of the European Olympic Committee offers dance sports. It is true that I have formerly been the president of Azerbaijan Dance Sport Federation. But to what extent are dance sports appropriate to this event? Therefore, chess can be included in the program.

There must not be problem while choosing wrestling, water sports and gymnastics. The issue on athletics is being reviewed. It is not ruled out that in general, European Games will be held on 19 kinds of sport. The number and composition of all sports are to be clarified till March, 2013,” he said.

11 December 2012

APA

Azad Rahimov gives interview to Eurosport and Inter TV

The Minister noted the importance of the first European Olympic Games for the capital of Azerbaijan, which will be held in Baku in 2015, according to Sport.1news.az.

"On 10 December, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev congratulated our people on this historical achievement. This shows the importance of holding of these major events in the country for both the leadership and our people”, he said “I believe that after the Games we will see further development of Baku”.

The Minister of Youth and Sports paid attention to the fact that Baku bid to host the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2020, and the corresponding work has been done to this end.

"The European Olympic Committee commends the organization of sport events in our country. All this, coupled with a government guarantee on high level arrangement of first European Olympic Games allowed us scoring 38 votes out of 48”, he said.

According to Azad Rahimov, existing urban sports infrastructure makes it possible to hold the European Games in Baku.

"We will construct temporary sports facilities for some sports. In addition, Olympic stadium for 65,000 seats will be ready for the opening ceremony before the Games”, he said, “Sports and Concert Complex named after Heydar Aliyev, the Republican stadium named after Tofig Bahramov and other urban centers will be used. The main issue is the construction of the Olympic Village, there are options."

The Minister said that all proceeds from the sale of broadcasting rights of European games will be passed to Azerbaijan, the country has been given the right to sell tickets. This will supplement our budget by at least 100 million euros. In addition, European games will play a role in the development of tourism, transport infrastructure and other areas.

12 December 2012

News.Az

[Galandar]

Baku Olympic Stadium - 65K

Baku Olympic Stadium is expected to be the core venue for 2015 European Games and host at least the opening and closing ceremonies of the event. The stadium is now under construction with the main stage of the construction works to kick off in the next few months. The stadium is expected to be ready in 2015.

Video presentation of Baku Olympic Stadium:

[Galandar]

National Gymnastics Arena - 6K

Construction of Gymnastics Arena, which will host European Rhytmic Gymnastics Championship 2014, to finish next year. The arena is expected to host gymnastics tournaments in case gymnastics will be included to the program of the 2015 European Games.

Construction works:

Baku Chess Palace

By 2015 Baku will get a fantastic venue for chess - Baku Chess Palace, which will host Chess World Cup 2015 and Chess Olympics 2016. There are negotiations to add chess to the program of the 2015 European Games. In case it happens the venue will host the games.

[Galandar]

Some of the existing sport venues in Baku:

Tofig Bahramov Stadium - 32K

The stadium went under major reconstruction and hoster the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the final of 2012 U-17 Women's World Cup.

]

Baku Crystal Hall - 25K

Baku Crystal Hall was built in less than one year and already hosted several events such as Eurovision Song Contest 2012, concerts of Jeniffer Lopez, Shakira and Rihanna.

[Galandar]

Heydar Aliyev Sport and Concert Complex - 8K

Built in 1990 the venue hosted several european and world championships in different kind of sports.

Photo from the opening ceremony of AIBA World Boxing Championship 2011:

8 KM stadium - 11K

The stadium hosted semi-final games of the 2012 U-17 Women's World Cup. The stadium is currently a home base of FC Neftchi.

[baron-pierreIV]

Baku Olympic Stadium - 65K

Baku Olympic Stadium is expected to be the core venue for 2015 European Games and host at least the opening and closing ceremonies of the event. The stadium is now under construction with the main stage of the construction works to kick off in the next few months. The stadium is expected to be ready in 2015

It looks like a giant electric fan.

[gotosy]

New European Games will not compete with the Olympics, claims Pat Hickey

THE first European Games planned for 2015 will not compete with the Olympic Games for athletes, cash or the spotlight, claims Pat Hickey, the head of the European Olympic Committees.

`The EOC announced its plan for a new continental Games last week amid some opposition, as Hickey said, from "within the Olympic movement".

The EOC has yet to get all the big Olympic sports federations on board, including the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) which had fixed its calendar up to 2016 long before the new event was announced, swimming and basketball.

"We do not want to do a copy of the Olympics. We want to be innovative and different," said EOC president Hickey, who is also head of the Irish Olympic Committee. "We will have the core sports but we are flexible.

"The reason we are staging it that year is that we see in the future for this to be a qualifying event for the Olympics (held a year later)," he said. "But that has to be negotiated with the federations and the International Olympic Committee."

The plan is to have 15 of the 28 Olympic sports represented, among them volleyball, boxing, judo and rugby sevens.

Three non-Olympic sports, including dance sport and karate, will also be part of the event to be staged in Azerbaijahn’s Baku and which will have some 7,000 athletes compared to the 10,000 at the Olympics.

"We are the only continent without senior Games. We do not have an event like the Asian Games or the Pan American or African Games," said Hickey.

The first edition of the four-yearly event will be staged by cash-rich Baku which had unsuccessfully bid for the summer Olympics of 2016 and 2020.

"Baku and Azerbaijan are not strapped like the rest of Europe. We wanted to get this off the ground and this event will be at no expense to the national Olympic committees," said Hickey.

Among those concerned about the event is the IAAF, which sees the European Games as cutting into its revenue streams at times of economic strain.

Swimming, another top Olympic sport in terms of viewership and commercial appeal, has also not finalised its participation.

"I understand some international federations are fearing it may dilute their sponsorship," Hickey said. "They (IAAF) have a difficult situation as they had committed most of their events to 2016 and tied in with sponsors."

Hickey said talks would continue but the EOC was determined to push ahead even if it meant not having the Olympic core sport of athletics in its first European Games.

"I think we will reach an agreement. That is what we would wish for but, having said that, if it is not possible it will not be possible. Then we will have to do it in 2019.

"This is a trial run, we want to be flexible to shape it in order to have long continuity," he said.

He said the European Games could also be an option for cities unable or unwilling to shoulder the multi-billion-dollar burden of hosting the Olympics.

"If it is successful, there's a great attraction. For many European cities this size suits them really well," said Hickey, adding that a budget had yet to be finalised.

"Invariably we have one or two European cities who lose out on the (Olympic) Games and this would be a good alternative."

The European Games had already attracted interest from sponsors, said Hickey.

"It is very encouraging. There are already three or four pan-European companies interested. They are looking for something a little lower than Olympic Games but also very European."

"The same goes for broadcasting. We already have had talks with the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) and they are very enthusiastic."

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/athletics-new-european-games-will-not-compete-with-the-olympics-claims-pat-hickey-3325895.html

[Athan]

According to Azad Rahimov, for now it has been specified that European Games will be held on 13 kinds of sport for the present. These are handball, volleyball, rugby, boxing, judo, taekwondo, triathlon, archery, equestrian sport, badminton, fencing, canoe, table tennis. Besides, competitions will also be held on two non-Olympic games: “We offered karate, because this kind of sport has developed in our country well. We had talks with the President of World Karate Federation Antonio Espinosa. He approached positively to the inclusion of karate into the program of the European Games. Pat Hickey, President of the European Olympic Committee offers dance sports. It is true that I have formerly been the president of Azerbaijan Dance Sport Federation. But to what extent are dance sports appropriate to this event? Therefore, chess can be included in the program.

Wow, I really like the sports program! Another perfect chance to watch some of those "minority" sports that I so much like. (I just hope the Games will be broadcast on TV...)

[Victor Mata]

How does the European Games affect the Mediterranean Games from now on? Can we predict?

[intoronto]

I don't think it affects it all. Consider Canada and the Pan Ams/Commonwealth Games. They are two different games, and the Mediterranean games have African and Middle East countries competing which are ineligible for the European Games.

[deawebo]

How does the European Games affect the Mediterranean Games from now on? Can we predict?

A lot! Since the calendar is full many athletes might give a preference for an entire Europe event...

Good luck Baku, after hosting the European Games the IOC may relay more on an Olympic bid in a future (30's)

[SwissO]

Baku 2015 Promo Video :

[Athan]

How does the European Games affect the Mediterranean Games from now on? Can we predict?

I don't think the Mediterranean Games are affected either. The European Games will be held in pre-Olympic years, whereas the Mediterranean Games are in post-Olympic years. Besides, in general, they're not the same countries taking part in both competitions.

[Galandar]

The groundbreaking ceremony of Baku Judo Sport Complex was held today

The project includes judo arena with 2000 seats, training halls, 8-storey hotel and others. The construction will be finished by the end of 2014

[Galandar]

It seems I was right in my concerns in regard to damn 2015 games Korean Heerim, construction manager of Baku Olympic Stadium has published the latest versions of the stadium where it looks vsimple and old-fashioned Btw the construction itself is now in full swing

[deawebo]

^ What the hell happened to the old desing? This one, though its still beautifull, is way simple... Reminds me of Beijing's National Stadium first proposal in their bid book.

[stark]

Now it is official, European Games But I am afraid that without athletics, swimmimg and gymnastics a lot of people won't follow the games closely.

Also International Media Coverage won't be too intrested.

[Rob2012]

It'll be interesting to see whether people can follow them, even if they want to! I don't know what the TV coverage will be like, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's just a highlights programme each night with nothing live, much like the Youth Olympics was.

[stark]

Indeed it can be like the Youth Olympics coverage! Maybe they can hold negociations with those federations to change the calendars.

[gotosy]

Azerbaijan First Lady to head Organising Committee for European Games in Baku

January 18 - Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has appointed his wife as head of the Organising Committee for the first European Games, which are due to be held in Baku in 2015.

Mehriban Aliyeva, head of the influential Heydar Aliyev Foundation, will be in charge of the preparations for the new event which will be making its debut on the international calendar.

The First Lady will head a Committee of 30 people, which includes Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Finance Minister Samir Sharifov and Interior Minister Ramil Usubov.

They will be joined by Azad Rahimov, the country's Youth and Sports Minister, who spearheaded Baku's successful bid to host the Games, which they were awarded at the European Olympic Committees annual meeting in Rome last month.

Aghajan Abiyev, the secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan (NOCA), is also on the Committee along with four of the country's Olympic champions, including wrestlers Toghrul Asgarov and Sharif Sharifov, who won gold medals in the 60 and 84 kilogram categories respectively at London 2012.

...

The Russian-educated Aliyeva, who is a doctor by profession, founded the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in 2004 and it is now one of the biggest builders of schools and hospitals in Azerbaijan, as well as being involved in several projects outside the country.

Aliyeva, who also sits on the ruling Executive Committee of the NOCA, which is headed by her husband, will oversee an event that is due to be attended by approximately 7,000 athletes from 49 countries competing in 15 Olympic sports and two non-Olympic sports.

Aliyeva also played a leading role in Baku's unsuccessful bid to host the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

...

http://www.insidethegames.biz/news/1012496-azerbaijan-first-lady-to-head-organising-committee-for-european-games-in-baku

[Galandar]

Cutting from the speech of Mekhriban Aliyeva on the first meeting of the Organizing Committee of the European Games 2015:

"The inaugural European Games are scheduled for June-July 2015. They are expected to be joined by member-states of the European Olympic Committee. In accordance with the agreement reached with the European Olympic Committee, the upcoming competitions in Baku will be joined by about 5,000 athletes. Official delegations are expected to include a total of 1,000 people. About 2,000 representatives of foreign media will come to Baku to provide media coverage of the event. In accordance with a preliminary arrangement with the European Olympic Committee and European sports federations, the program of the first European Games should include at least 12 out of 28 Olympic sports and two non-Olympic sports. This is the general rule. European sports federations have already submitted letters of intent to conduct competitions in 17 Olympic sports. These are wrestling, handball, volleyball, gymnastics, beach volleyball, boxing, judo, taekwondo, badminton, fencing, shooting, archery, table tennis, swimming, diving, water polo and rugby-7. Considering the fact that European Games are to be conducted for the first time ever, negotiations with the European Olympic Committee on many issues are still continuing, therefore the figures voiced today may change. Talks are ongoing with the European Olympic Committee and European sports federations to determine the two non-Olympic sports to be included in the program of the competition.

Dear Mr. President, at the initial stage of preparations for the first European Games we have identified competition venues.

The competitions can be conducted in the Sport and Concert Complex named after Heydar Aliyev, the National Tofig Bahramov Stadium, the Baku Crystal Hall, the "Sarhadchi" Sports Complex, the Palace of Hand Games, the "8th km" Stadium, the Shooting Center and the Baku Expo Center.

The construction of the Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre and the Gymnastics Complex is to be completed by 2015, so these new sports facilities will also be used during the Games. The official opening and closing ceremonies of the first European Games are to be held at the Olympic Stadium with 65,000 seats, which is under construction near Lake Boyukshor in Baku.

I would like to bring to your attention the preliminary proposals regarding the sports facilities where competitions in various sports will be held. The wrestling and judo competitions are to be conducted at the 7,100-seat Sport and Concert Complex named after Heydar Aliyev. The handball and volleyball competitions are to be held at the Baku Crystal Hall, which seats 25,000 spectators. The rugby-7 competition is to be held at the "8th km" stadium which can accommodate 11,000 spectators. The competitions in table tennis, fencing and taekwondo are to be held at the Baku Expo Center. Boxing events are to take place at the 3,250-seat "Sarhadchi" Sports Complex, badminton at the 1,628-seat Palace of Hand Games and archery at the 7,000-seat "Shafa" Stadium.

During the first European Games, the competitions in Olympic and rhythmic gymnastics are to be held at the Gymnastics Complex. Competitions in swimming and diving are to be held at the aquatic center currently under construction in Baku. A temporary arena is to be built near the center to host the water polo competition. If track and field events are to be held, we can use the 32,200-seat National Stadium named after Tofig Bahramov. A temporary arena for beach volleyball is to be built at the boulevard."

Cutting from the closing speech of president Aliyev on the first meeting of the Organizing Committee of the European Games 2015:

"the facilities currently under construction should be commissioned on time. First and foremost among them, of course, is the Olympic Stadium. Work has already begun there. The Gymnastics Center – work is also under way there, masonry has been completed. The aquatic center – its construction has already started and I am sure it will be finished on time, as this is also a very important facility. And not just for the Games – the construction of a modern water sports center is extremely important for Baku. This decision was made several years ago. The decision to conduct the European Games in Baku had not been made yet when we began this work, prepared a project and conducted an exchange of views on possible locations. Finally, the aquatic center will be built on an area of the city after the Flag Square which has been prepared as part of the development plan of Baku. I believe that this is the right place because a center designed for water sports should be built on the seafront. I am sure that this palace will have an interesting architectural design and functional features.

So the commissioning of sports facilities is crucial. I am aware that the Organizing Committee is holding discussions associated with the placement of athletes. There are several opinions. Of course, the Azerbaijani state can build an accommodation for athletes. But we need to see whether it is possible to use the existing and already constructed buildings."

Source: http://en.president.az/articles/7175

[Galandar]

Baku Olympic Stadium - Under construction:

We still do not know which was chosen as the final exterior design of this arena. So we have two proposals:

1. Proposal by TOCA

This proposal is still shown on many adds and was presented during the meeting of the Organizing Committee

2. Proposal by Heerim

This is a new proposal made by Heerim, which is the construction managing company of the Baku Olympic Stadium project

[Galandar]

Preparatory works for the construction of Baku Aquatics Center. I don't know the final desing of the Aquatics Center but the old structures you see on the photos will be demolished while the area surrounding the center will be a park

[intoronto]

I am surprised Azerbaijan added rugby.