BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 13. On July 13, Yalchin
Rafiyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, met with Ilgar Rahimov, President of the International
Blind Sports Federation (IBSA).
This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Azerbaijan.
According to the ministry, the meeting focused on prospects for
cooperation between the Azerbaijan International Development Agency
(AIDA) and IBSA, the implementation of joint initiatives within the
framework of international development cooperation, support for
sports development programs for the blind and visually impaired, as
well as ways to expand international partnerships in this area.
Yalchin Rafiyev noted that AIDA, as an official agency of the
Republic of Azerbaijan operating in the field of international
development cooperation, implements multidisciplinary projects in
partner countries aimed at capacity building, human capital
development, and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and
experience. He also emphasized that initiatives aimed at expanding
opportunities for the blind and visually impaired in the field of
sports align with AIDA’s priorities in the area of international
development cooperation.
Following the meeting between AIDA and IBSA, a Memorandum of
Understanding on international development cooperation was
signed.
Meanwhile, the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) is a
non-profit organisation founded in 1981 in Paris that governs and
develops sports for people with visual impairments worldwide.
Representing over 100 member nations, it operates as the
international federation for nine sports, including the Paralympic
events of goalball, judo, and blind football. IBSA is a founding
member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and plays a
key role in advocating for the inclusion of visually impaired
sports on the Paralympic programme. In addition to the three
Paralympic sports, IBSA governs several other disciplines,
including showdown, powerlifting, nine- and tenpin bowling, chess,
and torball.
