Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12
By Emin Aliyev - Trend:
The strength of the Azerbaijani gymnasts lies in their young age, Mariana Vasileva, the head coach of Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnastics team said.
She made the remarks at the press conference dedicated to the 30th Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships to be held in Baku from June 13 to June 15.
"The team's transition period was completed after Aliya Garayeva retired. Therefore, we've prepared a very young squad for this tournament. For example, the seniors will participate in this event for the first time," Vasileva noted.
"We are confident that they have a great potential and our young athletes will continue to make the fans happy not just at European championships, but at World championships and Olympic games as well," she underscored.
The head coach went on to add that the main task of Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation is not only to organize and successfully hold the top level tournaments, but also to develop the gymnastics in the country's regions.
"A number of sports groups have been opened in the regions, and I hope that in the future tournaments, we will see athletes from Azerbaijan's regions among the winners of major competitions," Vasileva said.
The head coach underscored that in the last five years, Azerbaijani gymnasts have always been among the winners and returned home with medals from the European Championships.
"I hope that Azerbaijani gymnasts will make us happy in Baku as well. It is really very difficult to perform at home, so the athletes understand their responsibility and try to do their best," she noted.
The jubilee 30th Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships will be held in the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku from June 13 to June 15. Some 258 gymnasts from 33 world's countries will compete for the nine sets of awards.