BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 24. The Ministry of
Youth and Sports is holding a gala ceremony regarding the year's
sports results, Trend reports.
The event was attended by heads of sports organizations and
federations, media institutions, athletes, coaches, and
representatives of the sports community.
The gala ceremony began with the playing of the national anthem.
This was followed by a minute of silence in memory of National
Leader Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs.
Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov noted that 2025 was
quite successful for Azerbaijani sports. The minister stated that
2,113 medals were won during the year, with 30 percent of them
being gold. This is a record indicator in the history of
Azerbaijani sports. The minister emphasized that these achievements
were obtained as a result of the attention and care shown to sports
by President Ilham Aliyev.
Then, special awards were presented in 4 categories. Joshgun
Aliyev (judo, 60 kg), silver medalist of the Deaflympics, Subhan
Mammadov (50 kg), world champion in boxing, the Azerbaijan
Equestrian Federation, and the mixed judo team were deemed worthy
of special awards.
After the presentation of a report video about the 2024 sports
results, a ceremony was held to award the year's winners in various
categories, determined based on surveys conducted among
federations, sports journalists, and on social media.
At the ceremony, the best sports photographers, media
institutions, and sports journalists of the year were also
announced. The Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) was among the
winners in all three categories. Ilgar Jafarov was selected as the
best sports photographer of the year. AZERTAC was among the best
print media institutions, and Elnur Salahov, editor of the Agency's
Sports Desk, was deemed worthy of second place among the best
sports journalists.
