Baku, Azerbaijan, June 10
By Jamila Aliyeva - Trend:
The First European Games provides Azerbaijan with a good opportunity to show the entire world how it developed in the last years, Argentinean ambassador to Azerbaijan Carlos Dante Riva told Trend.
"Hosting the first edition of the European Olympic Games involves risks. But, if you manage to cope with those risks the way Azerbaijan did, you will hear nothing but claps and cheers," he said.
The ambassador said that the entire country has worked really hard to make this happen and that effort will give its fruit. "If there were any one out there who did not know where Azerbaijan was, after the Games they will."
"Finally, I do not "expect", I "know" these Games will be outstanding and, as an excellent starting point, Baku 2015 will undoubtedly set the bar very high for next editions of the European Games," Dante Riva said.
He added that any event involving an entire region is always important. "They provide the opportunity to reassure the path of comradeship and mutual understanding that those countries have chosen."
"But, if we are talking about a sporting event, the contribution is double: first it brings together people from different countries that even when competing with each other, are shearing their effort," said the ambassador. "Secondly, these events remind us that when we push ourselves to the limit, when we sacrifice, when we work together, we can accomplish things never before seen."
So, these Games have great importance not only for Europe, Dante Riva said. "I hope we all learn from the dedication of the athletes, the support of the fans and the commitment of the volunteers involved in Baku 2015."
"When analyzing sporting competitions, you should focus on three aspects of the organization: infrastructure, human resources and attendance," the Argentinean ambassador added.
"In this case, venues have been built or remodeled according to the highest quality standards," he said.
The ambassador added that most of the best European athletes will be present and plenty of people have already bought their tickets. "The city is shining even more than ever and volunteers have been preparing themselves for more than a year."
"All in all, I would say Azerbaijan is ready to the European Games," he concluded.
Baku 2015 is the first ever European Games, an exciting and innovative multi-sport event for the continent which will take place on June 12-28, 2015.
There will be a total of 20 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over 17 days of competition.
Baku was awarded the games by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012.