Baku 2015 to be truly spectacular event: EOK head

/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

The inaugural European Games Baku 2015 will be attended by the best athletes of Europe, said Patrick Hickey, President of the European Olympic Committee.

"Of the total 6,000 athletes, who will participate in the European Games, 150 are Olympic medalists and 200 are the World champions. This demonstrates the high level of the athletes who will take part in the Games," he said at a press conference in Baku on June 11.

Hickey expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, who is the chairman of the Organizing Committee of the European Games Baku 2015, and Azerbaijan’s Sport Minister Azad Rahimov, Chief Executive Officer of the Operations Committee for the great job in organizing the event.

He added the first European Games in Baku would become a truly spectacular event.

The refusal of the Netherlands on holding the European Games will not create any problems, and that cast no shadow over the first European Games in Baku, Hickey stressed.

"I am sure that after the successful holding of the European Games in Baku, we will definitely have candidates to host the Games in 2019," he believes.

The Netherlands rejected the status of the host country of the European Games in 2019 on June 10.

Decision to hold the second Games in the Netherlands was reached the EOC General Assembly this May.

Hickey went on to add that in all Olympic Games many are calling for a boycott, but it has been proven in the past that it does not work and will never work.

"Boycott is a bad job," said Hickey.

Baku is anticipation the official opening of the historic Games that will start on June 12 to hold 20 sports competitions in 17 days.