President Ilham Aliyev Congratulates National Paralympic Committee on 30th Anniversary

Baku, The Gulf Observer: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has congratulated the National Paralympic Committee and the country’s Paralympic athletes on the 30th anniversary of the committee’s establishment, commending their achievements and reaffirming the government’s commitment to the development of Paralympic sports.

In his congratulatory address issued on October 16, President Aliyev recalled that the establishment of the National Paralympic Committee in February 1996, at the initiative of National Leader Heydar Aliyev, laid the foundations for the systematic development of the Paralympic movement in Azerbaijan.

The president emphasised that promoting sports and a healthy lifestyle remained among the priorities of Azerbaijan’s state policy. He noted that measures to strengthen the social protection of persons with disabilities and ensure the sustainable development of sports infrastructure had created favourable conditions for Paralympic athletes to achieve increasingly impressive results.

Aliyev highlighted the numerous medals Azerbaijani athletes had won at the Paralympic Games, as well as at world and European championships, describing these accomplishments as evidence of their professionalism, determination and strong will.

He said the athletes’ achievements brought pride and joy to the Azerbaijani people while demonstrating that disability was not a barrier to participation in sports or the pursuit of excellence.

Expressing confidence in the committee’s future, the president said it would continue to uphold the fundamental values of the Paralympic movement, including determination, solidarity, equality, inclusivity and mutual respect.

He added that the committee would continue contributing to the sustainable development of Paralympic sports in Azerbaijan and helping raise the national flag at international sporting events.

President Aliyev concluded by extending his congratulations to Paralympic athletes and all those who had contributed to the development of the movement, wishing them further success and new victories on the international stage.