Baku, March 18, AZERTAC

With 55 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and First Vice-President, Mehriban Aliyeva, who is also Chair of the Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games Organising Committee, were presented with the first tickets to the Games, according to Baku 2017 Games Operating Committee.

The presentation was made by two Baku 2017 Games-time Volunteers as the President and First Vice-President joined the people of Azerbaijan in celebrating the spring equinox festival of Novruz.

In total, over 8,000 young people from across Azerbaijan have signed up to be part of the Baku 2017 Games-time Volunteer Programme.

As part of this programme, volunteers will not only have the chance to play an important part in delivering the Games, they will also benefit from comprehensive training, designed to help them develop leadership, presentation and communication skills.

Tickets for the Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games will go on general sale to the public tomorrow (Sunday 19 March). To celebrate this, there will be a special event at Ganjlink Mall in Baku, which will feature some of the Baku 2017 Athlete and Celebrity Ambassadors, such as Ilham Zakiyev, Tunzala Agayeva, Farida Azizova and Haji Nuran. There will also be the chance to win tickets for sport sessions.

In total around 500,000 tickets will go on sale, giving people the chance to watch 20 sports and more than 170 sessions for the Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games. The tickets for all sports sessions will cost between 2-5 AZN.

In keeping prices consistent with the Baku 2015 European Games, the aim is to encourage as many families and young people as possible to come along and enjoy being part of this major international sporting event. Under 16s will be able to watch sport sessions at 13 of the Baku 2017 venues free of charge, as long as they obtain a complimentary ticket in advance. Children between the ages of 2 and 16 will be able to purchase a special Child ticket for 1 AZN, which will provide access to sports sessions at the Heydar Aliyev Arena, National Gymnastic Arena and Tofig Bahramov Stadium.

The Games will also feature spectacular Opening and Closing ceremonies, which will take place at the Baku Olympic Stadium on the 12 and 22 May respectively. Tickets for these events will range from 20-200 AZN for Opening Ceremony and 10-100 AZN for Closing Ceremony.

Anyone wishing to be part of this fantastic sporting occasion can do so by purchasing a ticket either via the Baku 2017 website - www.baku2017.com/tickets, or from one of the 12 ticket outlets located across Baku.

Speaking after the presentation of the first Baku 2017 tickets, Mr. Elchin Safarov, Corporate Director, Baku 2017 said: “We are looking forward to welcoming athletes from over 50 countries to Azerbaijan, to compete in the Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games.”

“These Games are not only a fantastic opportunity for us to promote our beautiful country, but also to give the people of Azerbaijan to watch top-class international sport. In keeping ticket prices low, we want to encourage everyone to come and enjoy being part of this major international sporting event.”

Mr. Safarov also spoke about the role of the Baku 2017 Games-time Volunteers, “We received over 12,000 applications, from across the country, to be one of our 8,000 Baku 2017 Games-time volunteers. We are extremely proud that so many young people wanted to be part of these Games and believe it further demonstrates a growing culture of volunteerism within Azerbaijan.”

We believe the training and coaching we are providing will not only ensure they are able to deliver against the Games-time roles, but will also provide them with necessary skills, knowledge and experience to help them in their future careers.”