Azerbaijani National Olympic Committee vice-president: Vancouver was remembered for lack of snow

What have Azerbaijani team learned from the Winter Olympics in Vancouver?

It taught us that to develop winter sports in Azerbaijan and even fight for high places in competitions. In Vancouver, even “non-winter” countries gained some success. In addition, the way the Olympics was organized deserved attention as a number of force majeure situations were promptly eliminated.

Did you hold meetings with your foreign counterparts? What issues were discussed?

I held many meetings with NOC leaders of different countries. We visited the "Russian House", "Ukrainian House", "U.S. House" and several others, discussing various issues. Summer Olympics were not debated. The meetings mainly focused on exchange of views on the Winter Olympics. By the way, almost all countries already have information that Azerbaijan begins construction of a large ski resort. In particular, some asked about when it will be possible to come to see this complex.

What can you tell about uniform of Azerbaijan’s national team at the opening ceremony ...

After the ceremony, a survey was conducted to reveal the most memorable uniforms. Azerbaijani team ranked second after Czech team uniforms in the survey. Almost all Canadian newspapers featured photos of Azerbaijani delegation in their coverage on the opening of the Olympics. Perhaps it was somewhat unusual, yet very beautiful and consistent with national ornaments. Almost all my friends from national Olympic committees of different countries approached me saying that our uniforms were the most beautiful in the Olympics. And some even made inquiries about that company which sewed these costumes. I am very pleased that our team, which was one of the smallest at the Olympics, was able to stand out.

And for what you personally remember the Olympics?

In my memory, this is the first Olympics that have proceeded without a doping scandal. This shows that the efforts of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lead to certain results. The Olympics were also noted for large attendance.

I remembered the Olympics in Athens, where the halls were empty, and the Games in Turin, where one could always find a free place. Vancouver also showed a nice contrast. The attendance was due to the fact that the home team has been quite strong for all disciplines and this only fueled the public interest. I remember the Olympics also for the fact that there was not a winter weather. There was no snow at all in Vancouver. The weather was clear, and some residents were wearing T-shirts with short sleeves. In this regard, Whistler was colder. But in any event, the Organizing Committee handled all hardships and the Olympics were a success.   

How would you assess performance of Azerbaijan’s team in Vancouver?

This famous expression has become an Olympic motto: "The main thing is not to win, but to participate.” So, participation is the main thing. Participation shows that you are a member of the Olympic family, accept Olympic ideals, welcome Olympic principles and develop them in your country. In these Olympics, for the first time we were not represented in the figure skating program. Absence of our skaters in Vancouver was due to problems in International Skating Federation (ISU).

This time it had quite strict selection criteria. Besides, you know that our dance couple Kristin Fraser and Igor Lukanin have completed a career. But there are promising people who will soon appear on the international scene. There will be new athletes including locals once new ski resort is commissioned.

We were a little unlucky. In particular, Bassar-Antivari got injured at training, and we urgently had to call physiotherapist from Italy. The doctor could treat her. In figure skating, our country was represented in the judiciary by Irina Nechkina, which assessed performance of sports pairs.

So, do Azerbaijan have potential to develop winter games?

Certainly. Moreover, many foreign athletes are willing to perform for Azerbaijan. By the way, many Azerbaijanis, mainly from Iran who live in Vancouver are engaged in skiing and skating sports. So, in the near future we may receive proposal from Azerbaijanis living in winter countries to perform for our national team.

/Azerisport.com/