#BAKU2015 European Games Considerations By EUBC President Franco Falcinelli

European Olympic Games #Baku2015 AIBa President Dr CK WU and EUBC President Falcinelli with all ITO

The historical first edition of the European Games was an exemplary demonstration of the organizational capacity and perfect managerial efficiency in an Olympic sphere, which valued the athletes’ performance in the various sports disciplines, representing the highest level of athletics and technical standards.

A special acknowledgement to the European Olympic Committee who had made the idea of having a European continental games a reality. Thanks to EOC Patrick Hickey and his staff that had successfully assigned the first edition of the European Games to Azerbaijan, a country that under Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. President Aliyev values the intrinsic value of sport to advance the technical functionality of high performance athletics, grouped together with and positive reception from the Azerbaijani people.

I have participated in 8 Olympic Games in various capacities over the years, I can guarantee that the Opening Ceremony of the European Games was one of the best that I had witnessed for its high level of cultural and entertainment value.

Baku2015 AIBA President WU and Azerbaijan Pres Aliyev during the Awarding Cerrmony

Boxing was one of the most followed sports with Crystal Hall consistently having a strong public crowd during the sessions. During the Finals, President Aliyev attended and was joined by the First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva who was head of the European Games Organizing Committee, their children and grandchildren. Even the Minister of Youth and Sport, Mr. Azad Rahimov had shown great enthusiasm for the Azerbaijani team. How often is it possible to have these honorable presences of these figures at our competitions?

President Aliyev had awarded Gold medals to all Azerbaijanis who won, all of which won fairly and showed their high technical value; Azerbaijan was the great protagonist of the competition.

On this occasion as had never been seen before, we have been able to see the strongly successful efforts and technical-tactical conditioning that are thanks to Pedro Roque, who had given the Azerbaijani athletes the tools to merit such an historically successful result.

Analytically reviewing the European Games, they have put European boxing in the spotlight. The type of European boxing demonstrated in the ring in Baku was considered at a high performance level and is a good model for future world and Olympic Competitions.

EUBC President Franco Falcinelli

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