During the forum, many officials hailed Azerbaijan for its economic growth and its commitment to global sports competition, according to the article.
The article said that Azerbaijan received significant attention for its efforts to host the first-ever European Games this June in Baku.
“President Ilham Aliyev and Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov, who also serves as chief executive of the Baku 2015 Games, led a delegation to the annual event in Davos,” said the article. “They also hosted a dinner gala celebrating the upcoming sports competition.”
Patrick Hickey, president of the European Olympic Committees, and Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, celebrated Azerbaijan for its economic growth and its growing presence on the world stage, said the article.
“This year’s theme in Davos is ‘The New Global Context,’ a theme which is also reflective of the sports movement in 2015,” the article quoted Hickey as saying during the dinner. “Sport in Europe is not only embracing a new context; it is helping to create a new context — through the introduction of the European Games.”
“Baku will stage a fantastic first edition,” he said, adding that Azerbaijan is a nation emerging at a rapid pace and has abundance of natural resources.
Hickey added that sport occupies a special place in Azerbaijan which has become a part of the European Olympic family.
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