BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 24. The Ministry of Youth and Sports is holding a gala ceremony regarding the year's sports results, TurkicWorld reports.
The event was attended by heads of sports organizations and federations, media institutions, athletes, coaches, and representatives of the sports community.
The gala ceremony began with the playing of the national anthem. This was followed by a minute of silence in memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs.
Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov noted that 2025 was quite successful for Azerbaijani sports. The minister stated that 2,113 medals were won during the year, with 30 percent of them being gold. This is a record indicator in the history of Azerbaijani sports. The minister emphasized that these achievements were obtained as a result of the attention and care shown to sports by President Ilham Aliyev.
Then, special awards were presented in 4 categories. Joshgun Aliyev (judo, 60 kg), silver medalist of the Deaflympics, Subhan Mammadov (50 kg), world champion in boxing, the Azerbaijan Equestrian Federation, and the mixed judo team were deemed worthy of special awards.
After the presentation of a report video about the 2024 sports results, a ceremony was held to award the year's winners in various categories, determined based on surveys conducted among federations, sports journalists, and on social media.
At the ceremony, the best sports photographers, media institutions, and sports journalists of the year were also announced. The Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) was among the winners in all three categories. Ilgar Jafarov was selected as the best sports photographer of the year. AZERTAC was among the best print media institutions, and Elnur Salahov, editor of the Agency's Sports Desk, was deemed worthy of second place among the best sports journalists.
