Athletes Arrive in Azerbaijan as European Games Near

(ATR) Athletes from Ireland and Germany are the first to arrive at the Baku Athletes' Village for the European Games.

The Baku 2015 European Games are set to get underway Friday, June 12 as the inaugural sporting competition solely for European nations. Nine days ahead of the opening ceremony, athletes are beginning to arrive in Azerbaijan.

A sporting delegation from Israel has joined the athletes from Germany and Ireland to arrive on site at the Athletes' Village. The village is located near the National Stadium that will host the ceremonies and athletics competitions for the games.

The village is home to over 1,000 apartments and is said to house nearly 7,500 people at capacity. There are 6,000 athletes expected to attend the event.

As the opening ceremonies on June 12 approach, the Baku 2015 European Games Organizing Committee (BEGOC) says the opening ceremony is close to selling out. They report that 80 percent of the tickets to the ceremony have already been sold.

The organizing committee says that the majority of tickets purchased are those with the highest and lowest values, selling at $190 and $19 respectively. BEGOC says tickets at these prices have sold out.

A fifth of the tickets still remain with two price points available. Tickets can be purchased at $47 and $95 for the opening ceremony.

The torch relay for Baku is in Khachmaz, Azerbaijan Wednesday as part of its 48-day trip across 60 regions of the country.

The flame will arrive in Baku on Sunday where it will remain until the opening ceremony on June 12.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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