Azerbaijan medal-winners at European Games will receive 7.7 million US dollars as premiums

Azerbaijani champions and medal-winners at the First European Games were awarded with premiums to the total sum of about 7.7 million US dollars and state awards. The achievements of the national team of Azerbaijan have surpassed expectations, believes Sarkhan Musaev, a sports observer.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that starting from June 12 Baku hosted the First European Games, which included competitions in 20 sports. Russia has become the leader in the medal standing; and Azerbaijan took the second place. On June 28, the closing ceremony of the Games took place.

On June 29, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev signed a decree on awarding the winners of the Games and people with merits in development of sports in the country. On the same day, the premiums were awarded. The medal winners of the Games and their coaches will receive cash premiums totalling 8.005 million manats (approximately 7.7 million US dollars).

The above Sarkhan Musaev said that the competitions in such sports like boxing, taekwondo and wrestling, where Azerbaijani athletes were most successful, attracted the strongest global athletes. As to team sports, relatively weak athletes came to Azerbaijan.

A number of experts drew attention to the essential number of naturalized foreign athletes in Azerbaijani teams. Out of 56 medals, 20 were won by such, said Makhir Rustamli, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Futbol+".

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.