Last group of Azerbaijani athletes, who participated in the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games, return to their homeland

Baku, August 20, AZERTAC

The last group of the Azerbaijani sports delegation, which completed its participation in the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games, returned to their homeland on a special flight.

A welcoming ceremony for the athletes was held at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport, which was attended by representatives of the sports community, the media, fans, relatives of the athletes and others, AZERTAC reports.

It should be noted that among them were also medal winners.

Azerbaijan was represented in the Islamiada by 281 athletes. They competed in weightlifting, shooting, athletics, 3×3 basketball (women’s and men’s), judo, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics, aerobics, rhythmic gymnastics, handball (women’s and men’s), Karate, kickboxing, fencing, archery, paraathletics, paraswimming, table tennis, taekwondo, cycling, volleyball (women’s and men’s) and swimming.

Azerbaijani athletes finished the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games in fourth place with 99 medals. Of them, 29 gold, 36 silver and 34 bronze.

The V Islamic Solidarity Games were to be held in 2021, but due to the global pandemic they were postponed for a year. At the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games, held from August 9 to 18, more than 4,000 athletes from 56 countries competed for 483 sets of medals in 24 sports.

Holding the Games in Konya was no accident. The city, which has an ancient history, is also considered one of the most important centers of Islamic civilization. The mausoleum of Jalaladdin Rumi, one of the great Sufi poets, is a place of pilgrimage for inmates. In general, there is a spirit of harmony in Konya, where different cultures have come together.

It is worth remembering that the IV Islamic Solidarity Games, held from May 12 to 22, 2017 in Baku, thanks to the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev and the activities of the First Vice President and President of the Organizing Committee, Mehriban Aliyeva, showed the world that the Islamic world can be united and that this unity multiplies our power. At the 2017 Islamic Games, athletes from Azerbaijan, with 162 medals (75 gold, 50 silver and 37 bronze), ranked first in the team ranking, Turkey was second (195 medals), Iran third ( 98 medals), Uzbekistan fourth (63 medals) and Bahrain fifth (21 medals).

The Islamic Solidarity Games were held for the first time in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The second Islamic Games, which were to be held in the Iranian capital, Tehran, were cancelled. The third Games were held in Palembang (Indonesia) in 2013. The VI Islamic Solidarity Games will be held in 2025 in the capital of Cameroon, Yaoundé.