On the chances of Azerbaijan at the Olympic Games in London

The first group of Azerbaijani Olympic athletes of 32 today left for London to attend the XXX Summer Olympics in the British capital from July 27 to August 12.

     The second batch of athletes will head to London on August 4. The Olympic Games will bring together 53 representatives of Azerbaijan, who will compete in 16 sports. (The 2008 Olympics involved 44 athletes from Azerbaijan in 11 sports).

      * Azerbaijan will be represented for the first time in five new sports - canoeing, rowing, cycling, gymnastics and fencing.

       According to sports commentators, a number of Azerbaijani Olympians have a chance to win. Thus, high expectations are associated with a judoka Elnur Mammadov (81 kg.), who is expected to repeat the success of the Beijing Olympics. He will be the standard-bearer of the Azerbaijani national team at the opening of the games.

    Among the contenders for the gold are the wrestler Sharif Sharif (84 kg), the Greek-Roman wrestler Rovshan Bayramov (55 kg), the boxer Magomedrasul Majidov (91 kg) and Elena Vystropova in women's boxing (75 kg).

     Good chance to become winners of games also belongs to Teymur Mammadov (boxing, 91 kg), Afghan Bayramov (weightlifting, 69 kg), Valentine Christov (weightlifting, 56 kg), Khetag Gaysumov (96 kg, wrestler), Hasan Aliyev (Greek-Roman style, 60 kg), bronze medalist of the Beijing Olympics Maria Stadnik (women's wrestling, 48 kg), Sergey Bezuglov-Maxim Prokopenko (canoe, 1,000 meters) and Valentine Demyanenko (canoe, 200 m).

    All of them in recent years have become champions and winners of World and European championships. Of the 53 Azerbaijani athletes 41 will participate in the Olympic Games for the first time.

     In order to promote the Olympians the state and NOC have set cash prizes for the winners and prize-winners and their coaches. Thus, by the order of the President of Azerbaijan, for the first place the amount of prize money is 400,000 AZN for the athlete and 200,000 AZN for the coach, for the second place it is respectively 200,000 and 100 000 AZN, and for the third place it is 100,000 and 50,000 AZN respectively.

    NOC has established the following prizes: for the first place – 200,000 AZN for the athlete and 100,000 AZN for the coach, for the second place, respectively, 100,000 and 50,000 AZN, and for the third place – 50,000 and 25,000 AZN.

    Thus, the total amount of funds provided for the winners is 600,000 AZN (about 770,000 USD), for the silver medals it is 300,000 AZN (about 385,000 USD), and for the bronze medals - 150,000 AZN (about 192,500 USD).

   For the preparation of the Olympians the state budget has allocated 14,785,000 AZN (about $ 19 million).

      On July 25 in the Olympic Village in London, the flag of Azerbaijan will be raised, and on July 28 the Day of Azerbaijan will be held to represent the national culture.

   Azerbaijani sportsmen as representatives of an independent state have appeared at the Olympics since 1996. Since then at four Summer Olympics Azerbaijani sportsmen have won 16 medals. At the latest Beijing Olympics Azerbaijan won one gold, two silver and four bronze medals. -06D-