In an interview with Idman.biz, Ilqar Abbasov, the head coach of the National Paralympic Committee’s archery team, emphasized the importance of the national archery championship for the team’s development.
Abbasov noted that there has been growing interest in archery in Azerbaijan recently. "In general, holding various tournaments and competitions leads to the emergence of new athletes and increases participation in the sport. For example, our participation in the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games was an important step in promoting this sport in our country. Archery as a Paralympic sport may attract the attention of veterans and people with disabilities," Abbasov said.
However, he admitted that the team’s performance in Paris was not up to expectations: "I can't say our performance in Paris was satisfactory, as we returned without medals. In my opinion, we underperformed this time. We’ll come back with medals from the next Olympics."
He also highlighted the importance of promoting archery in regions outside Baku: "While interest in archery in Baku can be considered satisfactory, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our regions. We want to involve people with disabilities from the regions in this sport. Competitions like this play a significant role in that process."
Nearly 60 athletes from various regions of Azerbaijan competed in the 3-day tournament. Men’s and women’s archers in three age categories- under 16, 16-18 years old, and adults -competed for the top spots.
Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz
