Olympic medals help build Azeri pride
But many sports facilities now being used to house refugees

A growing number of medals won in international sports competitions is helping to build Azerbaijan national pride. When the nation became independent 1991, it was consumed with the need to resist Armenian aggression, and reeled from internal political and economic chaos. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan proudly fielded a team for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The Azeri athletes took home Silver and Bronze Medals in wrestling, traditionally Azerbaijan’s strongest sport.

And by 2000 Azerbaijan teams had improved their Olympic capabilities. At the Sydney Games Azeri athletes won two Gold Medals, one in men’s wrestling and a second in women’s shooting, plus a Bronze in wrestling.

The Sports Ministry was not established until 1994. Funds were short at the time, however, and Azerbaijan had no ties to international federations. Nonetheless, in various sports competitions Azerbaijan teams and athletes garnered some 40 medals during the first year. Now, they are winning 150-160 annually.

These victories have led to an ever growing popular support for greater funding for sports, and the Azeri people have made it known that they want more sports programs established in various cities as well as in towns in outlying areas of the country.

But before that can happen the Sports Ministry must wrestle with another problem – today most of its training facilities are being used to help house the huge influx of refugees and internally displaced people caused by Armenian aggression against the country from 1988 to 1994.

"We even have a refugee family living behind the Ministry," remarks the Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism Dr. Aboulfas Garayev. "They cook in the Sports Hall adjacent to the ministry."

The revolutionary transformation that took place when Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union affected another change in Azeri sports. Under the Soviets, athletes were honored citizens whose living expenses while they trained were fully paid by the state. But that is beyond the means of Azerbaijan. Aside from not having government funding for their expenses, Azeri athletes often don’t even have a proper place to live or train. The dormitories of the Academy of Sports are now being used for refugee housing, and Academy students can’t afford to rent apartments.

In past years, Azerbaijan had world-class rowing facilities where people from many nations came to train. But these facilities now also house a thousand refugees, and the training facilities have been damaged as a result of the over crowding. Until these refugees can be returned to their original homes, Azerbaijan has lost its "training market."