Azerbaijan, known worldwide as a reliable and loyal partner, and an exemplary organizing state, is completing the year 2025 with successful results. Thanks to the continuous support of the state for sports and athletes, our place and position in the world sports family are further strengthened. Thanks to the high care of the Head of State, President of the National Olympic Committee Ilham Aliyev for sports, our athletes raise our flag by achieving countless victories in prestigious international competitions. Also, the high organizational level of prestigious sports competitions and events held in our country has been written in Azerbaijan’s sports chronicle as a year of new achievements.
As President Ilham Aliyev emphasized in his speech at the ceremony dedicated to the sports results of 2025, this year was rich in successful and significant events in Azerbaijan’s sports life, and the number of medals won by our athletes reached a record level. At international competitions, our athletes won more than 2,000 medals, more than 600 of which were gold medals. “This once again shows that the development of sports is successfully progressing in Azerbaijan. Compared to last year, the number of medals is higher, and this is probably natural. Because the attention paid to the development of sports, the state policy pursued, of course, leads to better results year by year.”
The development of sports in Azerbaijan, being an important part of state policy, has turned into a nationwide movement, and its sustainable dynamics have further strengthened in accordance with the state’s target principles. While drawing attention to this issue, the President stated that many programs are being implemented in the sports sector through the state line, sports infrastructure is further strengthened, and regional development is ensured.
It is a manifestation of this special care that there are all conditions for doing sports in the regions, and this architecture is expanding further. Thanks to the completion of the construction of Olympic Sports Complexes in Ganja and Yevlakh this year, the number of sports complexes has increased to 46, fully covering the accessibility, addressability and functionality of service conditions for athletes.
Azerbaijan’s sports movement has also become a symbol of patriotism and victory, a symbol of national pride of society. The leading force of this process is the properly raised young generation, the national patriotic feelings instilled in them by the state. Thanks to this strategic course, a healthy young generation loyal to the homeland is growing up and is considered the guarantor of Azerbaijan’s future stability, renaissance and numerous successes: “A healthy young generation is primarily needed for the future development of the country, so that the population of Azerbaijan, the citizens of Azerbaijan are physically healthy. At the same time, interest in sports from childhood, of course, paves the way for sports success in the future.”
Our athletes, closely connected to the state around the ideology of solidarity, write brighter pages in Azerbaijan’s success manifesto in the last five years with their unwavering courage and victories: “Over the past 5 years, our flag has been raised in international arenas as the flag of the victorious country. I am sure that athletes also feel this when participating in international competitions. They feel the attitude towards our country and our people, and when they enter sports grounds and sports arenas, they probably naturally enter with a sense of pride. At the same time, our glorious Victory 5 years ago greatly increases the responsibility of athletes. Because they participate in competitions as representatives of the victorious people.”
In 2025, along with achieving great achievements in world competitions, our state demonstrated its traditional organizational power to the international sports community by hosting the most prestigious sports events in a worthy manner. The next example of Azerbaijan’s commitment, which has completed many international sports competitions with extraordinary organizational skills, is the III CIS Games held this year.
Azerbaijan presented this competition to the world in a completely new style and special form of sports competition. The CIS Games, held in several cities in the regions, increased the attractiveness and diversity of sports, creating deep impressions on participants and tourists. The international sports observer enjoyed watching the events organized in the most modern infrastructure away from the capital Baku, especially in the base created in Khankendi only two years after being liberated from Armenian separatism. This once again reflects the innovations and innovations that Azerbaijan has brought to the global sports movement, presenting the country’s strong potential, and reflecting the image of a responsible and professional state. Also, the first international UFC tournament confirms that Azerbaijan is a worthy host for all types of sports competitions.
Sports competitions are also a driving factor in the development of fields such as tourism, service and hotel management, meaning new opportunities and opportunities to advance Azerbaijan’s tourism potential and economic development. For example, the “Formula 1” race, which has about 830 million fans worldwide and is held annually in Baku, is considered an attribute of the Azerbaijani sports industry and is also considered a part of the tourism brand in our country, stimulating tourism attractiveness and bringing tens of thousands of guests to Baku. As a result, the number of tourists coming to Azerbaijan after the Formula 1 races has increased by 20 percent. Also, other prestigious events ensure the traditional participation of foreign guests as goodwill representatives of our republic against the background of sports-tourism unity. It is no coincidence that the city of Baku was chosen as the “Sports Capital of the World” as the highest international value of these achievements.
Azerbaijan’s rare and unique organizational talent, which has hosted hundreds of international sports competitions in the past years, further strengthens the trust and confidence in our country in the international sports community.
As a result of this high trust and respect, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will jointly host the final stage of the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Or it was decided to hold the World Ski Cup next year. This event, which will be held for the first time, will present the sports and tourism image of Shahdag Ski Resort located in Gusar to the world, and will write Azerbaijan’s name on the global ski platform as an international ski sports country. At the same time, it will make a deep contribution to the beginning of a new stage in the development of winter sports in our country, and will stimulate the joint development of a huge winter sports and tourism industry in the region. It will also pave the way for the development of sports and tourism sectors in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur, which have rich nature and favorable relief, and ensure the bringing of international competitions to this region.
Ramid Namazov
Milli Məclisin deputatı