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That’s what Ipswich people will be
saying to a team of top athletes when they come to the town to prepare for
the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It means welcome and the
team from Azerbaijan can be assured of a warm one in 2012.
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Ipswich discussed the agreement with
Azerbaijan last week at their Embassy in London, which formally confirms
that they will use Ipswich as their pre- Games training camp for their
Olympic and Paralympic teams in 2012. The agreement has been formally
signed by Minister Azad Rahimov, Minister of Youth and Sport and Vice
President of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan.
This agreement follows considerable
discussions and a visit of six athletes and their coaches in August
2009. The seven-day stay proved to the team that the facilities that
Ipswich has to offer would be ideal for their preparations for the 2012
London Games. The warm reception that they received when they visited
is believed to have influenced their decision to base themselves in the
town.
Councillor Judy Terry – Portfolio
Holder for Culture and Leisure at Ipswich Borough Council said “We are
delighted that Ambassador Fakhraddin Gurbanov has confirmed his
country’s intentions to use Ipswich for the Azerbaijan team.”
Mr Gurbanov added “I am pleased that
Azerbaijan has chosen Ipswich for its preparations for the London 2012
Games. Ipswich is in a unique position to provide first-rate training
facilities – less than an hour away from the Olympic Park. I am really
looking forward to London hosting the Olympic Games and the opportunities
it gives Azerbaijan to appear on the world stage. I am personally
looking forward to meeting our athletes in Ipswich and London”.
Since Azerbaijan became an independent
nation in 1991 it has sent athletes to all games and has been successful in
gaining 16 medals. Azerbaijan has Gaia Bassani Antivari, an alpine
skier, who competed in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
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