First Paralympics Games for Children due in Azerbaijan

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

The first Paralympic Games for Children will be held in Azerbaijan on November 6.

Organized by the Azerbaijan National Paralympics Committee and by Azercell Telecom, the event will take place at the Paralympics Sports Complex in Sumgayit.

Some 50 disabled children will compete in four sports: judo, swimming, table tennis, and bocce.

Working under the National Paralympics Committee, the Azerbaijan Children's Paralympics Committee, established in 2013, is the first body of its kind to operate on a global scale.

The National Paralympics Committee and UNICEF signed a memorandum of understanding on the formation of a children's Paralympic movement and its development in October 2013.

This measure aimed to rehabilitate and develop children with disabilities, integrate them into society, and help them engage in sports.

The National Paralympics Committee is expanding within the country, bringing together hundreds of athletes.

Azerbaijani para-athletes achieved great success at the Summer Paralympic Games in London, gaining 12 medals and ranking 27th out of a total of 166 countries. At the Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008, Azerbaijan won 10 medals, ranking 37th.

The national Paralympians, represented by 10 athletes, achieved remarkable success at the Paralympic Games in France in July 2013.

Vladimir Zayets set a world record with a score of 15.3 meters in the triple jump and took first place at the world championships, while Samir Nabiev and Kamil Aliyev won silver medals in the discus throw and long jump respectively. Meanwhile, Rza Osmanov won a bronze in the discus throw.