Educational seminar held ahead of European Youth Olympic Festival

An awareness-raising seminar has been held within the training camp, organised jointly by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Solidarity Fund and the Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee (NOC) in collaboration with affiliated national sports federations.

The Azerbaijani Athletes' Commission (AAC) actively participated in the seminar. The main goal of the event was to provide athletes with detailed information about Olympic values and the theme of "Safe Sports."

Over 70 young athletes from six different sports participated in the seminar.

Engaging and educational games presented during the event aimed to strengthen communication among young athletes representing various sports and foster friendships. Teams representing Azerbaijan at the Olympic Games also showcased their country not only in competitions but also through intercultural and social events that promote international cooperation.

Vaqif Aliyev, the mission leader of AGOF (European Youth Summer Olympic Festival) Skopje 2025 and a certified inspector for Safe Sports by the IOC, provided detailed information about AGOF and the seminar at the start of the event.

He emphasised the increasing importance of the “Safe Sports” theme in recent years and delivered a presentation on the roles and responsibilities of athletes and coaches in this area.

Subsequently, NOC representatives, along with former and current AGOF ambassadors Gunay Salamova and Narmin Karimova, engaged participants in fun and educational games designed to promote Olympic values, team spirit, and practical knowledge on Safe Sports.

Members of the Athletes' Commission, well-known athletes Rafiq Huseynov, Irad? Ashumova, and Farida Azizova, facilitated group discussions with the young athletes.

At the end of the event, Rafiq Huseynov and Mehman Karimov, an NOC staff member, wished success to the young athletes representing Azerbaijan at AGOF.

The primary goal of this training camp is to ensure the comprehensive and high-level preparation of young athletes for the 18th European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Skopje 2025.

The training camp organized by the NOC in coordination with relevant national sports federations will continue until May 24.

The European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) is a biennial multi-sport event for youth (14 to 18 years old) athletes from the 50 member countries of the association of European Olympic Committees.

The festival has a summer edition, held for the first time in Brussels in 1991, and a winter edition, which began two years later in Aosta. It was known as the European Youth Olympic Days from 1991 to 1999.