Moscow, Russia, Feb. 14
By Orkhan Yolchuyev - Trend:
The official opening and closing ceremonies for the Baku 2015 European Games will be vivid and colorful, with elements of the heritage of Azerbaijani culture and music, Azerbaijan's Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov said Feb. 14 in Moscow.
He made the remarks at a press conference dedicated to the first ever European games, Trend's special correspondent reported.
"But the most important thing, as usual, is kept secret, as it happens in such cases," the minister said.
Answering a question about the participation of the heads of state in the official opening of the European Games in Baku, Rahimov said that at present it is difficult to talk about that.
"That will depend on the work schedule of the heads of state, but some of them have already agreed to take part in the official opening of the games," he said.
Talking about the cultural program of the European games, Rahimov noted that Azerbaijan doesn't intend to invite world famous stars, but all the cultural facilities in Baku will be open to tourists, and special cultural programs will be organized.
He added that all the necessary security measures will be taken during the event.
The minister also said the economic crisis had no effect on the organization of the games.
"The costs of financing this grand event were included into the state budget," he added.
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.