The Azerbaijan Athletics Federation, with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Financial Chain Corporation, organized the 26th Memorial of Afghan Safarov.
As reported by azerisport.com, the tournament involved 120 athletes from five countries around the world. Athletes from Turkey, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Oman came to Baku to participate in the Memorial. The competition included several disciplines such as the 100, 200, and 400-meter sprints, shot put, triple jump, long jump, and the mixed 4×400 relay.
It is worth noting that the tournament was included in the global athletics calendar. This means that athletes were able to earn ranking points and improve their position in the world rankings.
The Secretary-General of the national federation, Magerram Sultanzade, highlighted the importance of this factor in an interview with azerisport.com: “The world ranking is crucial for participation in European and world championships, as well as the Olympic Games. If an athlete does not meet the necessary qualification standards for participation, they can qualify for major international events through the ranking system. In technical disciplines, 32 athletes are allowed to compete at the World Championships. So, if only 15 athletes meet the qualification standards, the rest can participate based on their ranking. The Afghan Safarov Memorial allowed athletes to earn ranking points.”
Sultanzade noted that Azerbaijani athletes won five gold medals: “The Turkish team performed very well. The Georgians also showed themselves strongly. As for our athletes, Kiyasgyn Abbaszade won the long jump competition. Lamia Velieva won the 200 and 400-meter sprints. Ilaha Guliyeva won the 100-meter sprint. Our team also won the mixed relay.”
All the leading Azerbaijani athletes participated in the competition. The only athlete who missed the tournament was Ekaterina Sarieva, who competes in the triple jump. She has not fully recovered from a foot injury yet, but she should be ready for the European Games.
Sultanzade emphasized the importance of the Safarov Memorial for Azerbaijani athletics: “Afghan Safarov is a legend of Azerbaijani athletics. He trained many top athletes, world record holders, and Olympic medalists. He had outstanding merits and prepared over 100 record holders. Safarov served as the coach of the Soviet Union national team in sprinting for many years. He is the founding figure of Azerbaijani athletics.”
