Our country has successfully completed another international event in Gymnastics disciplines.
The 1st Baku Gym for All International Challenge, dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev held at National Seaside Park, will be remembered for a long time.
The participation of 446 gymnasts within 46 teams at the Challenge, once again, confirmed the popularity of Gymnastics for All in our country.
Spectators witnessed the performances of 46 teams with interesting compositions on June 18. The Gala-show held on the final day of the Challenge turned into a real festival for everyone who are fond of sports, music & dance.
Member of “Dio dance” team & a young gymnast from Georgia - Anastasia Iremashvili mentioned that the Challenge brought her incredible emotions: “In Baku, our team performed with 5 people. The event was organized at a high level. Such events are held not only for performing, it’s also a great opportunity to see the other teams’ programs & meet with them”.
Lithuania was represented by the team named “Little Autumn”, which included participants aged 60-88 at the tournament.
The oldest athlete of the event was the representative of this team - Zita Janciauskiene (88-year-old).
“Our team has been performing since 2006. It consists of 18 gymnasts, but not all of them came to Baku. I am glad that we were invited to participate in this event. The Challenge held in the capital of Azerbaijan was the fourth event we participated in. We performed in Italy, Greece & Portugal before. Baku is a very beautiful, clean city. People are friendly. We saw the performances of Azerbaijani teams. They have also people aged over 50. Our hearts are always young” - member of the team named “Little Autumn” - Laimut Radiniene stated, while sharing her impressions.
The youngest participant of the event was - Rada Mammadova - representing Aghdam Olympic Sports Complex.
The first international event also distinguished itself with facts occurred for the first time. Residents of the social service institution for the elderly of the Social Services Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population (“The Youth of the 70’s”) and athletes of the mixed-type orphanage named after O. Mirzayev of Lankaran city (“Lankaran Stars”) tested their strength at the international event for the first time. “The Youth of the 70’s” proved that they are in good shape with their confident performances, presenting a routine to the music of “Boney M” group.
“Our team is called “The Youth of the 70’s”. I think we did a great job. The atmosphere here is great. Gymnastics for me is the embodiment of a healthy lifestyle,” they mentioned.
The performances of the teams called “Young & beautiful”, “Moonlight”, “Flame”, in which our experienced gymnasts took part in, were cheered with loud applause by residents of our city.
The special guest of the Gala-show, the winner of “Eurovision-2011” song contest & well-known singer - Eldar Gasimov brought the audience bright emotions. The singer, performing several songs, presented his composition called “Break free” at the Challenge for the first time.
“It is very nice to hold such events organized by Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (AGF) with participants from different age groups. Gymnastics is not only important for health, but also glorifies beauty. Today, I am happy to perform at the 1st Baku Gym for All International Challenge. Here, I presented my new song called “Break Free”. This song is about the freedom of the human spirit, a call to the health of the spirit. Here free-spirited people gathered together regardless of age.”