Baku Applicant File showcases power of togetherness'

The Baku 2020 CEO Konul Nurullayeva headed a delegation to submit the Bid’s Applicant File to IOC headquarters in Lausanne today.

Nurullayeva was accompanied by Mr. Azad Rahimov, the Minister of Youth and Sport and Vice-Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan, Elhan Memmedov who is the Bid’s new Head of Communications as well as Olympic athlete Zemfira Meftaheddinova and Paralympian Ilham Zakiev. His Excellency Mr. Murad Najafbayli Ambassador and Permanent Representative in Geneva also joined the Delegation.

Handing over the File, Nurullayeva commented: "Reflecting our Bid’s tagline ‘Together we can’, Baku’s Applicant File stresses that it is not simply about what the Olympic Games can do for Baku and Azerbaijan, but what the city and country can offer back to the Olympic Movement."

She continued: "Our Applicant File outlines a Games Plan that will extend the Olympic ideals to millions of new hearts and minds and one that will embrace five continents. It says that awarding Baku the honour of hosting the 2020 Games will give people around the world a true picture of Azeri culture, while at the same time bring a new found sporting confidence to a region that has not had the opportunity to witness first-hand the greatest sporting event on earth."

Outlining Baku’s vision, the Applicant File says: "In Azerbaijan, we believe in ‘the power of togetherness’ and we recognise the values of Olympism as the most important catalyst for transformation in society today. Our motivation to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games is to harness this power of change to help Baku develop into a world-class sports destination and vibrant world city – and, with the Olympic Movement, together we can use the power of sport to inspire and empower the whole Azeri nation."

It goes on to say that a Baku Games has the potential to become another ‘Barcelona’ (1992) in terms of the transformation of a city. Baku has the climate, waterfront, iconic buildings, an amazing heritage, and importantly in these challenging financial times, one of the most robust economies in the world.

It maintains that, while the environmental, social and economic impact for Baku will be vast, the legacy benefits for sport will however be nothing short of life changing:

• Inspiring and empowering millions of young sportsmen and women

• Accelerating the development of team sports and introducing new sports

• Giving impetus to the development of new sustainable sporting venues

• Encouraging a new generation of sports administrators, coaches and officials.

Baku’s concept for the 2020 Games is athlete- and legacy-focused, providing a welcoming, high performance focused atmosphere at Games-time, whilst creating a lasting legacy that leaves a positive imprint on the City, region and country.

The compact concept is based around four clusters that include both competition and non-competition venues and that integrate existing, new, permanent and temporary venues.

The Waterfront Cluster – set against the spectacular backdrop of Baku Bay, the Boulevard and iconic city infrastructure, including the Old City UNESCO World Heritage site – includes three competition venues hosting seven sports.

To the east, the White City Cluster is an excellent example of how Baku’s 2020 plans are an integral part of the City’s long term development. Previously known as the Black City and hub for the oil industry, Presidential decree has committed to the removal of all industrial uses away from the city centre. This enables the decontamination of land and the creation of a new White City, with a beautifully landscaped pedestrian coastal boulevard, iconic architecture and green open spaces. The White City Cluster will house the Olympic Village, Media Village, IBC/MPC and Athlete Training Centre plus three adjacent competition venues.

The Olympic Stadium Cluster is located close to the main highway connecting the airport with the City. It is another important area of urban renewal and environmental enhancement. At the heart of the cluster is the Olympic Stadium, a planned venue for the City and future home of the Azerbaijan national football team. Spectator capacity will be increased to 80,000 at Games-time and reduced to 65,000 to ensure a sustainable stadium in legacy mode. The surrounding five competition venues create a cluster that has excellent access to the airport and the City, providing a key sports hub for the future.

Finally, the Airport Cluster makes use of enhanced existing sporting venues and fits well with the City’s expansion plans for the Baku Expo Centre. At Games-time, the Expo will host seven sports and will also be a key Paralympic venue.

All competition venues, with the exception of three venues for the preliminary football competition, are within a 25-minute travel time of the Olympic Village, reinforcing Baku’s athlete-centred approach.

The full Applicant File is available for download on the Baku 2020 website: www.baku2020.com.

For more information, contact: 994 77 201 5555.

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