Head of Romanian Olympic Committee: Azerbaijan has succeeded in establishing sports infrastructure - INTERVIEW

Report interviews President of the Olympic Committee of Romania, head of the Romanian delegation at the Baku 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival Mihai Covaliu.

- How well are the competitions organized, to your mind?

- It is good that the infrastructure for these competitions was already in place since the First European Games in Baku and all the sites were ready for all disciplines. What is important is that for athletes everything is organized at the high level. Children did not know much about Azerbaijan, but they knew about the level of sport in your country. It is important for them to participate in well-prepared sites and return home with good memories and experiences. You organize a lot of competitions in Baku.

-In what disciplines do you expect the most medals?

- Of course, all participants and disciplines are important for us. But there are certainly disciplines where we succeeded more. These are wrestling, swimming, judo, gymnastics and others. Of course, we want to rise as high as possible in the medal standings and show good results. We have already earned three gold medals. Our women volleyball team has just won the semifinal match against Italy, they will play the Final match tomorrow against the team of the Russian Federation.

-How do you assess the level of cooperation in sports between Azerbaijan and Romania?

- Azerbaijan, for example, is in many ways more successful than us in establishing a sports infrastructure. Our athletes often undergo joint trainings. I want to note that our wrestling federations cooperate very actively. We all know that Azerbaijani wrestlers are very strong in their discipline. In addition, our table tennis federation is also very interested in sharing experience with the Azerbaijani side. You have a huge and modern grounds for many types of disciplines. And we are very happy to come here and take part in these competitions.

- What are your impressions of Azerbaijan, what do you like most here, what do our countries have in common?

- First of all I like people here. They are as friendly and responsive as we are in Romania. They are ready to accept everyone who comes here, show the country, share experience. Azerbaijani cuisine, of course, is also incredibly delicious. We have a lot of opportunities for cooperation both in sports and, for example, in the economic sector. Azerbaijan is a country rich in hydrocarbons. And I am sure that the cooperation of our countries will benefit both nations. The friendship between our nations is extremely important. Since, for a good partnership, it is important to have good relationships between people.