Baku, September 27, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, first lady Mehriban Aliyeva and family members, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga and President of the International Judo Federation Marius Vizer have watched the mixed team competitions of the World Judo Championships at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku.

President Ilham Aliyev greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in Azerbaijan on a working visit.

President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva then met with Azerbaijani judokas.

Congratulating the athletes, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- I want to congratulate you on this wonderful victory. Our athletes have won silver and bronze medals. Other Azerbaijani athletes have also demonstrated excellent fighting spirit, and our team is among the leading teams. All these are remarkable achievements and a great success of the Azerbaijani judo school. You are delighting all our people.

The fact that Azerbaijan is hosting the world judo championship is a great event in itself. It shows that Azerbaijan has taken great steps towards successful development on a global scale. Of course, all of you wanted our athletes to put up a great fight, and this is what happened. On the one hand, medals have been won, but on the other, those of our athletes who did not win medals have demonstrated a good fighting spirit. I want to sincerely congratulate all of you on this occasion and wish you continued success. I should also note that your fights in team competitions will be continued, as you will compete for bronze medals. The opponent is strong enough. Of course, we all wish you success.

It should also be borne in mind that this is sport, and there are victories and defeats in sports. The key thing is that our athletes should demonstrate a good fight. We are proud to have outstanding judo fighters. Elnur, Nazim, Elkhan, Olympic champions, world champions, Natig, the veterans – these are a good example for you. I also remember Mehman – we watched his fights in the Olympics with a great interest. Therefore, I believe that our judo fighters will continue to go forward and delight our people and homeland.

Continuing his speech in Russian, President Ilham Aliyev said:

- There are guys in our team who do not know Azerbaijani well. Therefore, I would like to address them, congratulate on their successes and achievements. You have always represented our country with dignity and delighted our people. I congratulate you and wish you success in the future.