Turkish Youth and Sports Minister: We will brotherly compete with Azerbaijan

Baku. 6 April. REPORT.AZ/ Turkey will be represented by the largest delegation in the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.

Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Akif Çağatay Kılıç told Report. The minister said that the country's athletes will brotherly compete in Azerbaijan. He stressed high level development of sport in Turkey during recent years: "Problems in Turkish sports have been eliminated since 2012 year. Of course, success in sports changes from time to time. At present, we are developing. We will achieve higher results in Tokyo 2020 Olympics. We will brotherly compete with Azerbaijan. In the next Olympics, we will take part not only for the first place among Muslim countries, but also for the world's top places".

A.Çağatay also commented on the decision of the International Olympic Committee, depriving 2 Turkish athletes - Elvan Abeylegesse and Gamze Bulut - of 2 medals of 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics: "I'm also a member to the World Anti-Doping Agency Executive Board. Turkey has already become a country strictly fighting against doping. Positive result of doping tests re-analyzing of our two athletes and depriving them of Beijing and London Olympics medals is not related to our current activity. This has happened prior to our office".

Notably, Turkish female athletes Elvan Abeylegesse and Gamze Bulut were punished for failure to pass doping test. Abeylegesse deprived of 2 silver medals of 2008 Beijing Olympics for 5000 meter and 10000 meter race and Bulut gold of London Olympics.