Chingiz Huseynzade: "Azerbaijani team will win at least four medals in Beijing"

Two weeks are left to the start of the Olympic games in Beijing and preparation of Azerbaijani team to the games has been initiated. What should we expect from the upcoming games, which results will our sportsmen demonstrate and what are the peculiarities of the upcoming main start of the four years? These are other questions were covered by vice president of the Naitonal Olympic Committee Chingiz Huseynzade.

- 44 Azerbaijani sportsmen have a right to take part in the Olympic Games today. Is it the complete team?

- It seems so. The issue of possible participation of Azerbaijan women's hockey team has been closed and settled not in our favor. The athletes also failed to expand their representation at the games. Anyway, 44 Azerbaijani sportsmen in the Olympic games is a record number. Thus we have executed the plan.

- There have been wide discussions regarding decision of the Federation of International Hockey to send the Spanish team to the Olympic games in the place of the Azerbaijani team, though two of its sportsmen were caught on doping. But still they were forgiven. What do you think of it?

- Frankly speaking, it is the first time we face such a situation. We have no experience of participation in such a precedent. Perhaps, we will learn the exact ways of the settlement of such problems in the future. There are several versions here, for example, we can appeal to the court. By the way, the session of the Fair Play European Commission will be held in October and we will submit all necessary documents on the said issue for consideration to the said organization. They should tell us how lawful the decision in favor of Spain is. Anyway, our hockey player will, unfortunately, not be able to take part in the Olympic games in Beijing. Well, we will try to get through for the next games.

- By the way, how do you assess chances of our sprinters in Beijing as you are the president of the National track and field athletics federation. Don't you think that we are winning by quality, though losing in quantity?

- If we compare, Azerbaijan was represented by five athletes in the Athens, this figure equaled 4 in Sydney and 3 in Athlanta. Only two athlets will go to Beijing-Ramil Guliyev and Ruslam Abbasov. We could have attained wider representation of athletes in the 2008 Olympic Games, but they would be only participants.

The overall Olympic composition of the team turned out to be impressive, therefore, it is not necessary to take athletes, who would obviously show weak results during the Games to Beijing. Guliyev and Abbasov have repeatedly proved during international contests that they are able to fight for higher results. Certainly, we do not count on medals in Beijing, but I am sure that the athletes will worthily represent the country in the Olympic Games. That is, we have merely turned quality into quantity.

- Are there characteristic features of the preparations to the upcoming games?

- There are special features of the preparation at the present stage. Before that, there have been the general stage of preparations and today, the agenda includes the issue of ecology and acclimatization in Beijing. Therefore, the teams were compiling their plan, considering this principle. It means that it is important when sportsmen are on the peak of their form. In other words, the teams plan to arrive in Beijing at the moment, which is most favorable for them. This is different in different cases and is connected with individual features of the organism of a sportsman.

- What are the team's plans regarding the Olympic medals?

- I can give my own forecast. I will consider minimum, taking into account the results of our sportsmen at the two previous games. We had three medals in Sydney, five in Athens, that is in Beijing we will win at least four medals. I think we will cope with the program, which was in Athens- five medals, but with the improvement of their quality.

/Day.Az/