Islamic Solidarity Games 2017 Presented in Rio de Janeiro

Baku, Azerbaijan, 06 Dzulqa’dah 1437/09 August 2016  (MINA) – A zzof presentation of the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games which will take place in Baku in 2017 was held in Rio de Janeiro, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports said.

Over sixty guests attended the ceremony, including the Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan Azad Rahimov, Vice-President of the National Olympic Committee Chingiz Huseynzade, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Brazil Elnur Sultanov, Director of the Operating Committee of the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games Elchin Safarov and the Head of the Azerbaijani delegation at the Olympic Games in Rio Ilham Madatov.

Also present were the presidents, secretary generals of National Olympic Committees, officials responsible for sports of Malaysia, Indonesia, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Gambia, Palestine, Syria and other Islamic countries, Azertac news agency reported.

Azad Rahimov welcomed the guests, stressing that Azerbaijan has held a number of high-caliber sports events, including the European Games, the Formula-1 European Gran-Prix, as well as other European and World championships.

Minister Rahimov said that Azerbaijan’s goal is to hold the upcoming 4th Islamic Solidarity Games at a high level, to showcase the beauty of Islamic religion and to establish friendly and warm relations between peoples.

He said that during the 12 days of competition, over 5,000 athletes will compete in 20 sports disciplines.

The first event was held in 2005 in Saudi Arabia and there are currently 57 members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Non-Muslim citizens in the member countries are also allowed to take part in the Games.

A second event, originally scheduled to take place in October 2009 in Iran, and later re-scheduled for April 2010, was canceled after a dispute arose between Iran and the Arab World over the use of the term Persian Gulf in logos for the Games, as some countries in the Arab world use the term “Arabian Gulf” to refer to the Persian Gulf.

Dispute over the name has been a recurring source of disharmony between Arab states and Iran.

The Third Islamic Solidarity Games took place in 2013 in Indonesia. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)