The Azerbaijan Championship in rhythmic gymnastics held on Saturday will really go down in history. In spite of the fact that it was the 18th Championship, only the expression “for the first time”, was sounded in lobby talks four times!

Thus, the first “for the first time” is certainly the organization of the Championship, and even one of the best ones, outside the capital’s Olympic Sports Complex at the base of its fellow in Gusar! There was no room to move in a comfortable hall furnished in a European way. The sports complex was crowded which indicates that local residents had taken a great interest in the Championship.

The second is the opening of another Rhythmic Gymnastics Section in Gusar preceded with a symbolic presentation of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation’s flag by its Secretary General, Farid Gayibov, to the Complex’s leadership. He mentioned that one of the objects of the Federation was to develop this sports discipline in the country’s regions as well. According to him, besides Baku, such sections function in Sumgayit, Ganja, Khirdalan and Goychay at present. 56 girls joined the Gusar section for the last 2 months. These girls are coached by a specialist from Baku, the silver medalist of the European Championships-2009 in junior group exercises, Kamala Mammadova.

The third “for the first time” is connected with the fact that a gymnast from Ganja, (and this follows from the second one), performed in the tournament among juniors at the Championship. Although the representative of the western region did not take any prize-winning places, both the audience of the country’s northern part and the national team’s coaches did not remain indifferent to her performances.

Finally, the fourth is it was possible to watch the event in Gusar online (live broadcast) on the Federation’s official website for the first time. Thus, peoples in Moscow and Minsk, Kiev and Sofia, Tel Aviv and Madrid learned about Aliya Garayeva’s 4th in succession all-around champion’s title at the same time. The “silver” was won by Zeynab Javadli and the “bronze” by Anna Gurbanova. In all the separate finals, these gymnasts made themselves comfortable in the same order.

As to the tournament among juniors, Lala Yusifova who is leaving the last two European Championships with medals steadily, as well as Laman Hajizada and Gulsum Shafizada mounted the podium in the all-around. In the tournament with separate apparatus, the winners are the same gymnasts: L.Yusifova (ball, hoop), G.Shafizada (clubs) and L.Hajizada (ribbon).

The colorful Gala followed the competitions which have been holding under the auspices of the 130th Anniversary of the International Gymnastics Federation this year and testified by the flag flapping under the Complex’s dome. Little gymnasts of the region, as well as a group team preparing for the World Championships in France qualifying for the London-2012 Olympic Games, young bronze medalists of the Euro-2011 in Minsk and medalists of Gusar-2011 performed there. Summing up the Championship, the head of the executive power of Gusar region, Shair Alxasov, and the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of the country, Ismayil Ismayilov, expressed their gratitude to the Gymnastics Federation headed by its President, Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva, for such a festival of beauty and sports. According to them, the tournament held will give a great incentive to the development of this sports discipline in the whole northern region, and facilitate to the appearance of talented sportsmen and their involvement in the ranks of the national team.