The year 2022 was remembered for a number of significant events for the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (AGF).
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of its reorganization this year, the representatives of the AGF delighted fans with their historic achievements in the anniversary year.
As is known, the foundation of the AGF's successes over the past 20 years was laid with the election of the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, as the president of the federation on October 7, 2002. It should be noted with pride that since that time, as a result of the successful strategy implemented, a new stage and rapid development of this type of sport has begun in our country, and the AGF has become the country's preferred sports federation in a short period of time.
Continuing the tradition of previous years, in 2022, Azerbaijan successfully hosted 5 world-class competitions in gymnastics and a number of domestic championships and firsts. At each of the international competitions held in our capital, our gymnasts took the podium, justifying the hopes placed on them.
At the first international competition of the year - the Trampoline Gymnastics World Cup (February 12-13), the silver medal won by our national team member Seljan Mahsudova in the individual performance was the first medal won in this type of individual event among women in the history of Azerbaijani gymnastics.
Our representatives in acrobatic gymnastics achieved another first. At the 12th World Age Group Competitions in acrobatic gymnastics held in Baku from March 3 to 6, our women's group consisting of Leyla Bashirova, Nazrin Farmanova, and Mansuma Mammadzadeh won the gold medal in the 13-19 age category. This medal was remembered as the first gold medal won in the world age group competitions in the history of acrobatic gymnastics in our country.
From March 10 to 13, Baku hosted the World Championship in acrobatic gymnastics, one of the most interesting and exciting types of gymnastics, for the first time. In the competition of the strongest, our mixed pair, silver and bronze medalists of the European Championship Aghasif Rahimov and Raziye Seyidli, won silver in the tempo exercises program, and our male pair of Daniel Abbasov and Murad Rafiyev won bronze medals in the mixed and tempo exercises. Both medals went down in history as the first achievements won at the World Championships in acrobatic gymnastics.
The Artistic Gymnastics World Cup (March 31 - April 3) was remembered for the bronze medal won by our national team member Nikita Simonov in the hoop exercises.
At the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup (April 22-24), where the most elegant representatives of gymnastics participated, our representatives also justified the hopes placed on them. Thus, members of our group exercises team Gullu Agalarzadeh, Laman Alimuradova, Kamilla Aliyeva, Zeynab Hummetova, Yelizaveta Luzan, Darya Sorokina won gold with 5 hoops, and silver medals in the all-around.
As is known, although large-scale international gymnastics competitions were organized in our country in 2021 in accordance with the current quarantine rules, local competitions were postponed during 2020-2021 due to the pandemic. Since the beginning of 2022, national gymnastics competitions have finally resumed in accordance with the current requirements. The Azerbaijan and Baku gymnastics championships have brought back the local competition spirit and excitement that athletes have been eagerly awaiting to the National Gymnastics Arena.
Starting from the Azerbaijan Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship held on March 16 and 17, spectators have had the opportunity to watch the colorful performances of gymnasts at the National Gymnastics Arena again after a two-year break.
This year, our gymnasts continued to delight us with their medals in competitions held in international arenas. Our representatives achieved success in some types and programs of gymnastics that had not been achieved until now. In addition to various international tournaments and World Cups in gymnastics, members of our national team enriched our country's medal collection with their results in the main competitions of the year, such as the European and World Championships, as well as the Islamic Solidarity Games and the World Games.
At the European Championships in Trampoline Gymnastics and Tumbling held in Rimini, Italy (June 1-5), our athlete Magsud Mahsudov won gold medals in the individual event among youth in trampoline gymnastics and in the synchronized pairs program together with his teammate Huseyn Abbasov. In tumbling competitions, Mikhail Malkin won silver in the individual event, and bronze in the team event together with members of the national team Adil Hajizadeh and Tofig Aliyev. 
 

Following this competition, our rhythmic gymnasts joined the competition at the European Championships held in Tel Aviv, Israel (June 15-19). At the continental championship, our young gymnast Kamila Gafarova won the individual event with clubs, and our group exercise team consisting of Gullu Agalarzadeh, Laman Alimuradova, Kamilla Aliyeva, Zeynab Hummetova, Yelizaveta Luzan, and Darya Sorokina won bronze medals in the all-around, 5 hoops, as well as 3 ribbons, and 2 balls.
At the V Islamic Solidarity Games, one of the main competitions of this year, which was planned to be held last year but was postponed for obvious reasons, our country was represented in 4 types of gymnastics (rhythmic gymnastics, aerobic gymnastics, men's and women's artistic gymnastics). Our team members won a total of 17 medals, including 8 gold, 7 silver, and 2 bronze medals.
At the 11th World Games hosted by Birmingham, USA (July 7-17), our representatives in aerobic gymnastics distinguished themselves this time. The Azerbaijani aerodance team consisting of Aykhan Ahmadli, Rauf Hajiyev, Nigar Mir Jalalli, Nazrin Mustafayeva, Medina Mustafayeva, Sanan Mahmudlu, Khadija Guliyeva and Vladimir Dolmatov won the bronze medal in the competitions.
At the 16th Summer European Youth Olympic Festival held in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia from July 24 to 30, our young athlete Nazenin Teymurova qualified for the finals in the vault for the first time in the history of women's artistic gymnastics and took 5th place. Our athlete also qualified for the finals at the European Championship and repeated the same success.
In Sofia, Bulgaria, our rhythmic gymnastics group team (Güllü Agalarzade, Laman Alimuradova, Zeynab Hummetova, Yelizaveta Luzan and Darya Sorokina) rose to the podium (bronze medal) for the first time at the world championship (September 14-18).
The 29th world age group competitions in trampoline gymnastics, tumbling and double mini-trampoline held in the same city (November 23-26) were also productive for the Azerbaijani national team. Our athletes added all the prestigious awards to our medal treasury. In the synchronized trampoline gymnastics program, Magsud Mahsudov and Huseyn Abbasov, competing in the 15-16 age category, were awarded gold medals. Ali Niftaliyev, performing in the 13-14 age category in the individual trampoline program, won a silver medal. Magsud Mahsudov won a bronze medal in the individual program in the 15-16 age category, and Ammar Bakhshaliyev and Farhad Mustafayev won a bronze medal in the synchronized pairs competition in the 11-12 age category. Tofig Aliyev, who performed in the 17-21 age category, won a silver medal in the tumbling competition.
This year, our representatives in gymnastics for all also distinguished themselves in a number of competitions. The “Ay ishighi” team (July 10-14) was awarded a silver medal at the “European Gym for Life Challenge” festival held in Neuchâtel (Switzerland). The composition presented by our team at the “Golden Age” (50 years and older) gymnastics festival held in Funchal, Portugal (October 2-7) was met with interest.
During 2022, our gymnasts won a total of 147 medals in international competitions, including 62 gold, 40 silver, and 45 bronze. The logical result of these successes is that our representatives have consistently maintained their leadership in the rating table of Azerbaijani athletes.

On September 9, a festival dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the reorganization of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation was held on the Seaside Boulevard (behind the Azerbaijan State Puppet Theater) in the gymnastics for all genre. The event, organized for the first time, gave pleasant moments to the residents of our city and aroused great interest among the audience.
As always, this year, the AGF paid attention to improving the qualifications of coaches and judges. In accordance with the relevant rules of the next Olympic cycle covering 2022-2024, established by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), our representatives took part in the gymnastics judging exams.
In the exams held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each of our representatives successfully completed the exam and acquired the international judging category.
On October 13-16, for the first time, the Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Education and Sports, under the leadership of the Greek specialist in Special Olympics, Sofia Bura, held coaching (rhythmic gymnastics, gymnastics for all) and refereeing (rhythmic gymnastics) courses at the National Gymnastics Arena, organized by the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, held a joint online webinar for athletes in a video conference format for the first time on September 1, with the President of the FIG Technical Committee, Noha Abushabana. A number of topical issues were touched upon at the seminar, and interesting topics were discussed. 
 

At the beginning of the year, the AGF, which launched courses on professional training of trampoline gymnastics coaches as part of the curriculum, successfully concluded the national aerobic gymnastics coaching and refereeing courses under the leadership of Bulgarian specialist Kaloyan Kaloyanov at the National Gymnastics Arena.
As every year, in 2022, the development of gymnastics in the regions, ensuring mass participation in this field, and popularizing gymnastics types were the main priority areas of the federation's activities. Currently, gymnastics sections operate in 29 regions of our republic. This year, 8 new gymnastics sections (Tartar, Goranboy, Gedebey, Oguz, Gabala, Balakhani, Ramani, and a gymnastics section for residents of the mixed-type orphanage named after Osman Mirzayev in Lankaran city) began operating in our country, 5 of which are in the regions.
The Federation organizes test exercises in the regions before prestigious competitions throughout the year, various exemplary performances with the participation of our famous gymnasts, master classes, etc. was organized.
In order to promote gymnastics in the region, the Friendship Competition dedicated to May 28 Independence Day was held for the first time at the Sheki Olympic Sports Complex. On June 4 and 5, the Tartar Olympic Sports Complex opened its doors to rhythmic gymnasts for the first time. The 6th Interregional Cup held in this discipline caused great joy for the residents of Tartar. The biggest competition of the year organized in the region was the joint competitions dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the reorganization of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, held from December 8 to 11 at the Sheki Olympic Sports Complex in 6 disciplines of gymnastics. During the opening ceremony of the competitions, the audience was presented with a gala show performed by local and world-famous gymnastics stars. Foreign guests invited to Azerbaijan highly appreciated the organization of the competition and expressed their admiration for our country, as well as the ancient city of Sheki.
In 2022, the National Gymnastics Arena again opened its doors to representatives of other countries. Representatives from countries such as Australia, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Georgia, India, Spain, Israel, Korea, Colombia, Latvia, Malaysia, Egypt, Hungary, Mongolia, Norway, Uzbekistan, Portugal, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sierra Leone, Turkey, Ukraine, Japan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan increased their sports experience by participating in training camps together with local specialists and athletes in the most magnificent arena in the world.

This year, the activities of our representatives were highly appreciated by both local and international organizations. Our gymnast Seljan Mahsudova won the FIG Cup at the Trampoline Gymnastics World Cup in Arosa, Switzerland (July 1-2) based on the total points she collected in three of the four World Cups she participated in during 2022.
Winner of the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games, triple gold, silver and bronze medalist of the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games, double silver medalist of the Summer Universiade, participant of the Tokyo Summer Olympics Zohra Agamirova was elected a member of the Athletes Commission of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan.
Nikita Simonov's new element on the rings at the men's and women's artistic gymnastics world championships held in Liverpool, England, was approved by the FIG Men's Artistic Gymnastics Technical Committee. 
At the 14th European TeamGym Championships held in Luxembourg on September 14-17, Tofig Aliyev, a member of the Azerbaijani national team, won for the first time in the “All-Star Team” nomination established by European Gymnastics for the performance of the most difficult element on the acrobatic track apparatus.
The most important news of the year came in December. At the 29th Congress of European Gymnastics held in Albufeira, Portugal on December 2 and 3, Azerbaijani Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov was re-elected president of the continent’s most influential gymnastics organization - European Gymnastics with a hundred percent majority. International-level judges nominated by the AGF: Yevgeniya Vilyayeva for rhythmic gymnastics, Inara Israfilbayova for TeamGym, and the national team coach Ruslan Eyvazov for gymnastics for all were elected members of the Technical Committee of European Gymnastics for the first time in the history of Azerbaijani gymnastics.
In accordance with tradition, this time the federation gathered all gymnastics lovers together again on New Year's Eve. The magnificent New Year's show called "Cold Heart" with the participation of gymnasts and coaches provided all spectators with entertaining moments.
The anniversary event dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the reorganization of the AGF, held with the participation of sports officials, was remembered for a number of interesting moments. The ceremony, where a video clip was presented about the successful 20-year development of the Federation, also included the presentation of the AGF book "20 years in development".
On December 26, at the gala ceremony dedicated to the sports results of the Ministry of Youth and Sports for 2022, our representatives were among the best of the year in 9 nominations, and our rhythmic gymnastics group team and 3 individual gymnasts were awarded along with the athletes who finished 2022 in the top ten in the rating table.
We were delighted with another piece of news on New Year's Eve. The awarding of the Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, Nurlana Mammadzadeh, with the “Progress” medal for her services to the development of sports in our country by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, was another indicator of the successful activities of the AGF.
Another responsible year awaits us. Along with traditional international competitions, in 2023 our country will host another prestigious competition, the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship in May. We believe that the coming year will also be remembered as a year full of successes for the Azerbaijani gymnastics family.
On behalf of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, we heartily congratulate you on December 31, the World Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day and the New Year!