Azerbaijan Badminton Federation board member and former national team head coach Jeyhun Mammadaliyev shared his insights with AZERTAC regarding the European Mixed Team Badminton Championship, which is being held in Baku for the first time.
– The European Mixed Team Badminton Championship has started in Baku for the first time. How significant is it for Azerbaijan to host such a prestigious event?
– This is a large-scale tournament. Over the past decade, Azerbaijan has successfully organized major competitions like the European and Islamic Solidarity Games. Now, for the first time, our badminton players have the chance to compete in such a prestigious event on home soil. I believe they will put in a strong and respectable performance.
– The Azerbaijani national team is in a tough group alongside England, Spain, and Denmark. How do you assess our team's chances?
– Our opponents include Olympic champions, world and European medalists - highly decorated athletes. Competing against them is a big challenge. Denmark and Spain, in particular, will be tough matches. However, our main goal is to fight with determination and achieve strong results.
– The squad includes several young players. What are your expectations from them?
– Yes, while most teams in this tournament consist of senior players, our squad is relatively young. This is a positive development for us. In fact, two of our athletes, Ulvi Huseynov and Hajar Nuriyeva, have made it into the Top 100 of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, which is a great achievement. This indicates that they have the potential to perform well in future senior-level competitions.
– Which players do you see as the most promising talents?
– I would particularly highlight Leyla Jamalzade and Hajar Nuriyeva. They are among our most promising young players. We expect them to perform well in this championship and future international tournaments. We also have backup players ready to step in if needed, which is a valuable experience for our younger athletes.
– The federation previously mentioned plans to hold tournaments in Azerbaijan’s recently liberated territories. Are there any updates on this?
– Yes, we recently revived the national badminton championship in Khankendi, marking the first time in 50 years that such a competition has taken place there. As these regions continue to develop, we plan to organize more tournaments in the future. In fact, we aim to expand national and youth competitions to liberated areas once the necessary infrastructure is in place.
– What other international tournaments will Azerbaijan’s badminton players compete in this year?
– One of the key events will be the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Games. These games will feature multiple sports, and while the opening and closing ceremonies are planned for Ganja, badminton competitions are expected to take place in Shamkir. We anticipate five or six teams participating. Our team performed well in the previous CIS Games, and this time, we will be competing for the championship title.
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