The year 2024 was a memorable one for Azerbaijani gymnastics. Our athletes performed successfully both locally and on the international stage. Undoubtedly, the year's main event was the Summer Olympic Games held in Paris. Azerbaijan was represented at the Olympics by the rhythmic gymnastics group exercises team, individual gymnast Zohra Agamirova and trampoline gymnast Seljan Mahsudova.
The group exercises team, consisting of Yelizaveta Luzan, Darya Sorokina, Laman Alimuradova, Gullu Agalarzade and Zeynab Hummetova, led by head coach Siyana Vasileva, made history by achieving Azerbaijan’s highest result in this discipline, finishing in fifth place. In the individual competition, Zohra Agamirova performed in her second Olympic Games, marking another significant milestone in her career.
For the first time in history, Azerbaijani athletes participated in trampoline gymnastics competitions at the Olympic Games. This sport is relatively new in Azerbaijan, having started to develop just a decade ago. Seljan Mahsudova's participation in this event was a great achievement for Azerbaijani sports.
Various International Competitions were held before the Summer Olympics, some serving as qualifying events and others as preparation for major upcoming tournaments, including the Olympics. Several of these events traditionally took place at the National Gymnastics Arena.
In February, Baku hosted the Trampoline Gymnastics and Tumbling World Cup, which served as a qualifying event for the Summer Olympics. Mikhail Malkin, a multiple-time winner of International Tournaments, secured a Gold Medal in the tumbling track, while his teammate Adil Hajizade won a Silver Medal. Overall, the tournament featured 300 athletes from 32 countries.
In March, two gymnastics tournaments were held: the FIG World Cup and The International "AGF Trophy" Tournament. The FIG World Cup also served as a qualifying event for the Paris Olympic Games. Azerbaijani gymnast Ivan Tikhonov, who scored the highest points in the qualification stage, was awarded the "AGF Trophy." The "AGF Trophy" International Tournament proved even more successful for our athletes.
In the senior category, they won 6 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze medals; in the Junior Category, 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 Bronze Medals in the Youngsters Category, 4 Gold Medals were achieved. For our gymnast Nikita Simonov, this tournament was part of his preparation for the European Championships in Rimini, where he eventually won a Silver Medal in Rings under the guidance of coach Ruslan Irgashev. Simonov also won victory in his favorite discipline earlier this year at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup (Challenge series) held in Szombathely, Hungary.
At the beginning of April, remarkable achievements were recorded in Guimarães, Portugal. Our tumbling athletes—Mikhail Malkin, Tofiq Aliyev, Adil Hajizade and Bilal Gurbanov—clinched the Gold Medal in the team competition at the European Championships, following their victory at the World Championships, reaffirming their status as the best in Europe. Additionally, in the individual competition, Tofiq Aliyev won a Silver Medal.
Azerbaijan’s trampoline gymnastics representatives also competed at the European Championships in Portugal. Young gymnasts Ali Niftaliyev and Ammar Bakhsaliyev won a Gold Medal in the synchronized program, while Samira Huseynova and Ayan Shabanova won a Silver Medal in the synchronized program for young women.
During this event, the awards ceremony for the 2023 Best Gymnast and Best Coach was also held. These prestigious awards were presented to Azerbaijani representatives Mikhail Malkin and the National Team’s Head Coach Adil Huseynzade.
The National Gymnastics Arena later hosted the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup, serving as an excellent preparatory stage for upcoming major competitions. Athletes from 41 countries participated in the tournament, where Azerbaijani representatives secured two medals. The group exercises team won Bronze Medals in the five Hoops exercises and the All-around competition.
In May, rhythmic gymnastics competitions continued. For the first time, the European Cup was held in Baku. The event, organized at the National Gymnastics Arena, featured 160 athletes from 37 countries. Winners were determined not only in individual programs but also in team rankings, the All-around, and a new Cross-match system.
In the group exercises program, the team comprising Zeynab Hummetova, Gullu Agalarzade, Darya Sorokina, Yelizaveta Luzan, Laman Alimuradova and Kamilla Aliyeva won Bronze Medals in the All-around and the three Ribbons and two Balls exercises.
In individual performances among junior girls, Ilaha Bahadirova secured second place with her Ball exercise, while Shams Agahuseynova took second place with her Ribbon exercise, both winning Silver Medals.
At the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships in Budapest, in addition to the group exercises team winning a qualification for the Olympic Games, young Azerbaijani gymnasts achieved notable results. They won a Bronze Medal in the team competition. The team consisted of Govhar Ibrahimova, Shams Agahuseynova, Ilaha Bahadirova and Fidan Gurbanli. Notably, for the first time, a gymnast from the "Zira" club (Fidan Gurbanli) participated in the National Team at the European Championships.
In the early days of summer, the Seaside National Park in Baku hosted the second international “Challenge” in the Gymnastics for All discipline. Approximately 800 participants took part in the event, representing a total of 60 teams. Alongside Azerbaijani participants, teams from Georgia, Mongolia, and Sierra Leone also showcased their performances.
The summer season was particularly successful for Mikhail Malkin. Demonstrating his exceptional skills, he emerged as the winner of the World Cup Series held in Coimbra, Portugal. The World Cup Series also yielded remarkable results for representatives in acrobatic gymnastics. The men’s pair of Murad Rafiyev and Daniel Abbasov won the main trophy of the competition. Additionally, the mixed pair of Agasif Rahimov and Raziya Seyidli secured two Gold and one Silver Medal, outshining their competitors.
They continued their winning tradition into the fall, achieving historic success at the World Championships in Guimarães, Portugal. This city once again proved to be a lucky venue for our gymnasts. While trampoline and tumbling representatives excelled here in the spring, this time, the athletes coached by Irada Gurbanova delivered outstanding results. The acrobatic gymnastics team won a total of 8 Medals: 4 Gold, 1 Silver and 3 Bronze. For the first time in history, Azerbaijani gymnasts achieved second place in the team rankings.
Agasif Rahimov and Raziya Seyidli won Gold Medals in Mixed and Balance exercises as a duo, as well as a Bronze Medal in tempo exercises. A similar achievement was accomplished by the Men’s Pair of Murad Rafiyev and Daniel Abbasov, who secured first place in Mixed and Balance exercises and third place in tempo exercises. It is noteworthy that, for the first time in history, the Men’s Group won a Bronze Medal in tempo exercises at the World Championships. The group comprised Seymur Jafarov, Rasul Seyidli, Riyad Safarov, and Abdulla Al-Mashaykhi.
The World Championships also served as a qualifying event for the World Games, set to take place in Chengdu, China, from August 7 to 17, 2025.
Junior gymnasts also delivered successful performances in Portugal. At the World Age Group Competitions and the first-ever Junior World Championships, the Women’s Group consisting of Nazrin Zeyniyeva, Anahita Bashiri, and Zahra Rashidova won two Gold Medals. They triumphed in the finals of the 13-19 age group, winning first place among Juniors.
Referring to the future World Games to be held in China, it is worth mentioning that in 2024, our aerobic gymnastics representatives also secured their qualification for the event. The pair of Vladimir Dolmatov and Madina Mustafayeva, under the guidance of Mariyan Kolev, won a Silver Medal at the World Championships held in Pesaro, Italy. This marked the first-ever medal won by our representatives at a World Championship in aerobic gymnastics.
October brought joy to gymnastics enthusiasts with two international competitions. These included the 3rd International “Ojag Cup” rhythmic gymnastics tournament, which saw the participation of nearly 400 young gymnasts and the 15th European TeamGym Championship, which attracted great interest not only from local but also international spectators. In TeamGym, 46 teams from 14 countries, including the Azerbaijani team, competed for the championship title.
December 2024 will be remembered for the stunning success of Tofiq Aliyev, who triumphed at the “FaceOFF” international competition held in Herning, Denmark. Performing in front of 10,000 spectators, he delivered an impeccable performance that captivated everyone.
Toward the end of the year, rhythmic gymnasts competed for success at the “Winter Tale” tournament. The most emotional moment of this event was the ceremony dedicated to the conclusion of the sports careers of Zohra Agamirova and Zeynab Hummetova. These athletes devoted themselves entirely to rhythmic gymnastics, representing our country with honor on the world stage and proving their worth against the strongest athletes globally.
Victory is a tradition inherent to our athletes. The achievements mentioned above represent only a fraction of the successes of our representatives. In 2024, Azerbaijani athletes excelled across numerous international competitions in all gymnastics disciplines and various age categories. They achieved outstanding results at the Gymnasiade and other international events. They are set to continue competing both nationally and internationally in the coming year. Azerbaijan will host many international competitions, including some that will be held for the first time.
At the Executive Committee meeting of European Gymnastics held on September 6, it was announced that in 2025, the city of Ganja will host the European Age Group Competitions and the European Aerobic Gymnastics Championship for the first time. This will mark the first European Championship in gymnastics to be held in our region.
Another significant announcement came during the 85th Congress of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), held in October in Doha, Qatar. The Technical Director of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, Natalya Bulanova, was re-elected as a member of the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Committee.
In the second half of the year, the new rules for the 2025–2028 Olympic cycle were established and subsequently introduced to our athletes, coaches and judges through specialized seminars.
According to the results of the "Intercontinental Judges` Courses" held in Lausanne, Switzerland, many judges upgraded their categories. In rhythmic gymnastics group and individual programs, Yevgeniya Vilyayeva and Nigar Abdusalimova achieved first and second categories, respectively. Kamil Guliyev (trampoline gymnastics), Rahib Aliyev (tumbling), and Ahmed Agayev (artistic gymnastics) attained the first judging category. Among the second-category judges were Sabina Hajiyeva (rhythmic gymnastics – individual program) and Rza Aliyev (artistic gymnastics). The third category was awarded to Vafa Bekarova (rhythmic gymnastics – group exercises), Adil Huseynzade (tumbling), Arif Feyziyev (parkour), and Durdana Ahmedova (acrobatic gymnastics).
In 2024, numerous masterclasses were held at the National Gymnastics Arena by renowned gymnastics stars for our athletes. At the same time, our specialists were invited abroad to conduct special courses and seminars, sharing their experiences with athletes and coaches from various continents. Rhythmic gymnastics coach Siyana Vasileva conducted courses for coaches in Cairo (Egypt), while Natalya Bulanova led courses for judges in Larnaca (Cyprus). Thanks to Elnara Huseynova's courses, Colombia's rhythmic gymnastics representatives gained the necessary expertise, and coach Dilbar Ibrahimova shared her experience in Srinagar, India. These are just a few examples.
Throughout the year, approximately 70 teams from various countries participated in training camps at the National Gymnastics Arena. The experience gained by our gymnasts this year will serve as a strong foundation for their future successes.
We wish each of you a Happy New Year!