Serbian Sports Minister Zoran Gajic is well known to Azerbaijani fans, as he once worked as a head coach at the Rabita volleyball club.
In an interview with Haqqın.az, the 66-year-old specialist emphasized his special attitude towards Azerbaijan and its sports delegation at the Gymnasiade held in Zlatibor, Idman.biz reports.
Azerbaijani team is one of the teams with the largest squad at the current Games. Gajic noted that for him, the arrival of the Azerbaijani delegation to Serbia also means a meeting with friends and acquaintances: "I accept Azerbaijan as my own country. Special attention will be paid to the delegation from Azerbaijan here. I am very happy for Azerbaijan and my friend, Sports Minister Farid Gayibov. He and his team are, first of all, my friends, and only then my colleagues."
Gajic, who led Rabita to the 2011 Club World Championship, also spoke about the massive influx of foreign players and coaches into Azerbaijani volleyball at that time: "There were many foreign volleyball players in Azerbaijan in those years. The Azerbaijani league was one of the strongest in Europe. But even then, I said that first of all, volleyball needs to be popularized. It is important to train local youth. And for this, it was necessary to be patient."
Speaking about Azerbaijan's potential in team sports, the minister emphasized that with the right approach, Azerbaijani youth have all the qualities to succeed: "I am sure that Azerbaijani boys and girls are very talented. Everything depends on how the process is organized and the coaches. It was just necessary to continue this work."
He expressed his readiness to cooperate with the Azerbaijani side in the field of sports development again if he receives an appropriate invitation: "I am open to everything you need, because I have a special attitude towards Azerbaijan. Not because I have achieved something in your country. The main thing is the people I work with."
Idman.biz
