Azerbaijian Live, from the fifth most censored country, it’s the first ever European Games – Report Politico

June 17, 2015 By administrator

By Jacob Balzano
Rejoice! After years of enviously watching athletes in Asia, Africa, the Pacific and the Americas flaunt their sporting might together as continental brothers and sisters, Europe finally has a competition to call its own. Live, from the fifth most censored country in the world, it’s the first ever European Games.

Jutting out into the glistening Caspian Sea, Baku, the oil boom capital of Azerbaijan, is fizzing and popping with European Games mania. Six thousand athletes from 50 countries have descended on the city to run, twist and grunt their way through two weeks of gruelling sporting competition. Stadia have sprouted like mushrooms, glassy hotels stretch into the clouds and phalanxes of volunteers marshal the masses of spectators, hacks and dignitaries into arenas to watch the games, some of which will qualify athletes for the Rio Olympics next year.
It is impressive to see Baku holding an event so flash, sophisticated and well-attended when one remembers that barely two decades ago the city was a dusty backwater still convulsing from the collapse of the Soviet Union and war with neighbouring Armenia. Yet even before the opening ceremony on June 12th, there were sinister signals that this event would not quite live up to the Olympic ideals. Officials from Amnesty International, which planned to hold a press conference in Baku during the games, to highlight the country’s political prisoners, were denied visas. As were delegates from Human Rights Watch. A British activist from Platform London was detained at Baku airport for over 30 hours before being promptly deported. Journalists from the BBC, the Guardian, Radio France International and German broadcaster ARD were also denied accreditation.
When this news broke, I attended a press conference where presidential adviser Ali Hasanov ruminated that this was an anti-Azerbaijani campaign directed by Western elements jealous of the country’s success. Another way of interpreting this is that government officials are not fond of media who have explored claims that they have in recent years siphoned off untold billions of state assets into their personal accounts, annihilated the free press and neutralised or imprisoned anyone who dared speak out against their behavior.

Even from a pragmatic perspective, denying entry to journalists from major media outlets was a careless move that completely backfired. The Azerbaijan government, far from muting issues it didn’t want discussed, managed to amplify them and attach intrigue and skulduggery to the European Games even before the event had officially started. In doing so, the government very helpfully exploded that old deceit that these showboat sport extravaganzas serve as some wondrous key for world peace, rather than the cynical orgy of unblinking power, geopolitics and capital that they unfailingly end up being.
In the Roman Empire, it was said all that was needed for a happy populace was bread and circuses. It has been speculated that Azerbaijan spent up to $10 billion on hosting the European Games. Bread, however, can be a luxury for some in a land where the average monthly salary is around $400 and significantly less outside the capital. The opening ceremony’s bill of $100 million seemed comparatively austere to the overall cost of the games. It was in fact a stunningly elaborate spectacle that blended 12th century Persian poetry, flying carpets, exploding pomegranates and … Lady Gaga. The latter’s attendance was a closely guarded secret until the last minute, when she appeared at a piano adorned with flowers to trill John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Depending on the cultural sensitivities of the country where this song is performed, singers sometimes omit the lyrics imaging there is no God. Until last week I have never heard a version which leaves out the line imagining “no need for greed or hunger.” Perhaps Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev had given some helpful artistic guidance beforehand?

As the spiritual home of BP, which hoovers up more than 600,000 barrels of oil per day from Azerbaijan, and that country’s largest foreign investor, Britain was expected to send an exciting guest to the opening ceremony. Prince William? Sting? Someone from Game of Thrones? Almost. Britain was valiantly represented by Tobias Ellwood MP, Parliamentary undersecretary of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Alas, my attempts to get an autograph were thwarted by the millions of screaming fans ahead of me. The Honourable Member’s Twitter feed duly cranked out some messages banging the drum for British business and support for athletes of “Team GB.” The next day Ellwood flew to Bahrain where #Reform and #HumanRights were on the agenda, talking points apparently absent from his Baku
The lack of any senior British representative was symptomatic of the rest of Europe’s energetic incuriosity about the event. The only European heads of state in attendance from farther West were Prince Albert of Monaco and the grand duke of Luxembourg. There were however, some more regal dignitaries from the local neighbourhood, namely President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan.
Even Erdogan would remark the following day, “I could not see any leaders from the EU, although the name of this event is ‘European Games,’ the Turkish leader sniffed. To which Putin (with whom he was holding talks), retorted with a mischievous grin, “As a European Union candidate country, you are representing the whole bloc.” At one point in the ceremony, for fans of Greek mythology, a performer representing the Phoenician woman Europa (for whom the continent was named) sailed across the stadium on top of a white bull suspended from the eaves, just to hammer home the message that this was a European thing.

Speaking of bull, Patrick Hickey, the president of the European Olympic Committees and chief architect of the European Games project (and former Irish judo champion), took to the stage to address the audience. Among the blizzard of platitudes, he spoke of how sport “has a unique power to affect positive change, to instil a set of values that make change inevitable” before dropping the buzzwords “global ethics, fair play, respect and friendship.”

Reporters Without Borders ranks Azerbaijan 162 out of 180 countries in its annual press freedom index. Transparency International ranks Azerbaijan 126 out of 175 on its global corruption index. Democracy was always a risky sport in Azerbaijan, but in the last year, the correlation between Azerbaijan’s growing global presence and the severe crackdown on journalists and human rights activists has been absolute. Those who have not been thrown in jail have either fled or have fallen silent to the extent that Baku now seems like a ghost town for civil society.
Before embarking to Azerbaijan, I met a human rights worker in a café in neighbouring Tbilisi, Georgia, who told me: “For the first time in a decade, I literally don’t know who to meet over there anymore.” The next day, an email landed in my inbox from a well-connected analyst: “I’m sorry, Andrew, but my Baku colleagues were simply too fearful to be in contact with you.”

Azerbaijanis Paying Price For Aliyev’s 2015 European Games

June 16, 2015 By administrator

By RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service

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State workers have told RFE/RL that they have been forced to help foot the big bill for the European Games,

With dozens of opposition activists and independent journalists behind bars, domestic criticism of Baku’s hosting of the 2015 European Games is hard to find.

But despite the clampdown on dissent by President Ilham Aliyev’s government — which in recent days has banned Amnesty International and kicked the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) out of the country — complaints from upset Azerbaijanis are still being heard.

Several state workers say they have been forced to help foot the bill for the expensive (up to $10 billion), first-ever mini-Olympics for some 6,000 European athletes.

A doctor from the north-central city of Mingachevir told RFE/RL that fellow doctors at his hospital were forced to contribute between 100 and 500 manats ($105-$524) apiece.

“Each department is required to donate at least 2,000 to 5,000 manats ($2,100-$5,240),” said the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Therefore, senior doctors have to collect money from other staff [and] there are rumors that whoever does not contribute money [for the European Games] will be fired.”

Speaking to RFE/RL, Ilham Mayilov, the head of Mingachevir’s Health Department, rejected reports that doctors had been ordered to pay money to support the games.

But there are indications that some doctors may have decided to pass along the cost for the games to their patients.

“My doctor told me I will not receive my free medicine for two months until the European Games are finished,” an ill Baku resident told RFE/RL via Facebook last month.

The patient, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, normally gets four injections per month to treat the disease, with each injection costing some 400 manats ($381).

Another person, who is receiving chemotherapy, told RFE/RL that she would only receive about one-third of her state-paid medicine until the European Games are finished.

Sefaya Ahmedova, a press officer at the Health Ministry, dismissed reports of patients having their treatments reduced or medicine not being paid for due to doctors having to contribute to the costs of the European Games.

The “involuntary” contributions to help pay for Baku’s big event seems to involve other state workers.

The father of a man who works at the Economy and Industry Ministry told RFE/RL that his son, like many other midlevel state employees, receives a bonus, under-the-table payment every month to enhance his low official salary.

But he said his son’s 800 manat ($838) salary has been reduced to 250 manats ($262) for the last four months, with his missing bonus being sent to the European Games’ budget.

ALSO READ: Aliyev’s Azerbaijan In Spotlight As European Games Begin

Other anonymous sources told RFE/RL that similar “bonus salaries” were no longer being received in recent months by employees at the State Customs Committee.

Committee officials told employees the bonus cut happened due to the games and will be resumed after the games are finished.

Azerbaijan won the right to hold the games based partially on a generous promise to pay the airfare of the thousands of athletes, trainers, and coaches who have come to Baku to compete in more than 250 events from June 12-28.

Much as they did for the 2012 Eurovision song competition hosted by Azerbaijan, Baku authorities have spared no expense in projecting a positive image of the country while the eyes of Europe are on it.

But critics say that rather than working to improve its rights record to bolster its image, Azerbaijani officials have focused on sprucing up Baku’s visual appearance to put the city’s best foot forward.

The effort has drawn scorn from some Baku residents who are unimpressed by the cosmetic improvements.

A mural painted on a concrete bridge underpass near a bus station in north-central Baku has been dismissed by many as state-approved graffiti.

Ironically, some of the artists hired to paint the mural reportedly were selected from a list of street artists who have been arrested in the past for painting graffiti.

Some have previously served up to 10 days in a Baku detention center on charges of hooliganism, for acts such as painting the word “freedom” on a concrete wall or scrawling opposition slogans.

While some residents grumble, others see benefits from the European Games, such as with newly planted trees in parks and flowers near Baku Boulevard, a main street in the booming capital that also boasts free WiFi while the games are being played.

There are modern buses on the streets and new, air-conditioned subway cars beneath.

Perhaps most surprisingly, people on Facebook say they have seen police officers on the streets who are, uncharacteristically, smiling.

With reporting by RFE/RL’s Ron Synovitz and Pete Baumgartner

European Games: First Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan “gold” in Baku

June 15, 2015 By administrator

Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan

Despite all the booing and hissing from the hostile crowd in Baku, Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan managed to win the gold medal at the first-ever European Games taking place in the Azerbaijani capital.

The match between Maryanyan and Soslan Daurov from Belarus in the men’s 59kg Greco-Roman final took place in extraordinary conditions as spectators in the hall were exerting great psychological pressure on the Armenian all the time.

“It wasn’t easy,” Maryanyan said as quoted by Associated Press after the match. “I tried not to pay attention to that weight in the hall, the pressure. I actually enjoyed myself, even though they had that attitude toward me.”

On the way to the final Maryanyan beat Armenia representative Roman Amoyan as well as Elman Mukhtarov, a Greco-Roman wrestler from Azerbaijan who was fiercely supported by the home crowd during the bout.

Later, Amoyan lost to Mukhtarov in the bronze medal match that also took place in conditions of spectator pressure on the Armenian. According to media reports, Amoyan was even booed while he was receiving treatment for a head cut.

Twenty-four other Armenian athletes are due to compete in six sports (sambo martial arts, shooting, judo, wrestling, boxing, and taekwondo) at the Games that will be held through June 28.

The Armenian delegation was already booed and hissed at during the athletes’ parade at the Games opening ceremony on Friday.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh since the late 1980s. More than 30,000 people were killed in the Armenian-Azerbaijani war in 1992-1994. Despite the current ceasefire soldiers on both sides continue to lose their lives in cross-border skirmishes.

The National Olympic Committee of Armenia made the decision to send athletes to Baku after representatives of the International and European Olympic committees as well as the government of Azerbaijan provided security guarantees for them.

Some leading athletes, including world wrestling champions Arsen Julfalakyan and Artur Alexanyan, decided to skip the Games, officially explaining their decisions by the need to train for the world championships due in September.

Many in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora have also criticized the country’s sporting community for its decision to send athletes to the Games that are widely viewed as a means for Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime to promote its international image.

Baku European Games: Simon Clegg hopes for cheers not jeers for Armenians

June 13, 2015 By administrator

The hostile reception given to Azerbaijan’s bitter enemies Armenia at the lavish opening ceremony of the inaugural European Games in Baku will hopefully not be repeated in the sporting arena, the Games’ chief operating officer Simon Clegg said on Saturday. report zeenews.india

Baku: The hostile reception given to Azerbaijan’s bitter enemies Armenia at the lavish opening ceremony of the inaugural European Games in Baku will hopefully not be repeated in the sporting arena, the Games’ chief operating officer Simon Clegg said on Saturday.

Clegg’s desire that “people will appreciate athletic performances irrespective of which country competes” will be sorely tested later on Saturday as Armenian veteran Greco-Roman wrestler Roman Amoyan faces off against Azeri Elman Mukhtarov in the bronze medal play-off in the 59 kilogramme category.

Indeed the 31-year-old Armenian — who among many medals has accrued an Olympic bronze in 2008 and also silver at the 2009 world championships — was jeered and booed in his morning bouts.

This followed hot on the heels of the fiery reception spectators gave the small Armenian delegation when they entered the Olympic Stadium on Friday.

The two Caucasus countries have been locked in conflict since a bloody war in the early 1990s following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Clegg, one of British sport’s most experienced administrators and who was integral to London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics, said the fact Armenia were at the Games at all was an achievement in itself.

“Bearing in mind the difficulties between the two countries it demonstrates the power of sport that Armenia is here participating,” said Clegg.

“To have all 50 European NOCs (National Olympic Committees) marching sent an incredibly positive message.

“I recognise there were some reactions from elements of the public to the marching of certain delegations.

“But we have spent some time looking at a range of scenarios,” added the 55-year-old.

The decision by the Armenians to compete was a considerable diplomatic coup for European Olympic Committee president Pat Hickey who laboured long and hard to persuade them to come.

He even earned praise from a European parliamentarian for managing the feat as she had failed to even get their diplomatic representatives to meet in her office after years of trying.

The Armenia team had been anticipating a ‘warm’ welcome and they duly got it as their delegation — seemingly comprising not athletes but officials — was jeered.

Some spectators chanted ‘Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan’ and brandished the national flag.

Their enmity dates back to the early part of the 20th century before being cut short by them becoming part of the Soviet Union.

However, once the Soviet Union disappeared, violence reared its head again and Yerevan-backed ethnic Armenian separatists seized control of Nagorny Karabakh during the 1990s conflict that left some 30,000 dead.

Despite years of negotiations, the two countries have not signed a final peace deal following a shaky 1994 truce, and clashes have intensified over the past year along the Karabakh frontline.

The predominantly Armenian-populated region is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia’s entire state budget, has threatened to take back the disputed territory by force if negotiations fail to yield results.

Backed militarily by Russia, Armenia says it could crush any offensive.

AFP

First European Games in Baku may be last: Austrian athletes get in accident, Russians fight with Ukrainians

June 11, 2015 By administrator

Three representatives from the Austrian team, teenage synchronized swimmers, that had arrived in Baku for the European Games were hospitalized after being hit by a shuttle bus in the athletes village, Austrian Olympic officials said. Turan information agency reports that they were all put in intensive care unit and one of them is in grave state.

“The girls were walking on the sidewalk of the Olympic Village when a shuttle bus hit them,” the Austrian committee said, adding that the incident happened at 8:30 a.m. One of them, Vanessa Sahinovic had multiple fractures and the other severe injuries. She was transported to Vienna on air ambulance for neurological treatment. Luna Pajer injured both of her arms. She was also taken to Vienna. The Committee says they are shocked with the accident.

Haqqin.az reports that athletes from Russia and Ukraine have fought in the Olympic Village. The group of Russian and Ukrainian athletes reportedly first started to argue which grew into melee with the athletes not being able to control their emotions. The workers of the Olympic Village separated them.

Turan also reports that the Netherlands refused to host the 2019 European Games because the government refused to allocate about 60 million euros to the original budget of 125 million euros to the National Olympic Committee of the country.

Aleksey Avdokhin published an article “The First European Games: what is it after all?” on Tribuna.com. He writes that the first European Games may become the last. The next Games planned for 2019 had been reserved by the Netherlands, but they recently rejected them as there was neither the government support nor finances. “Clearly, the decision will also depend on the legacy of Baku Games, especially on their commercial attractiveness – whether they will succeed to attract television audience, intrigue sponsors and cover the organizing expenses at least to a small degree. And above all, there are now few countries in Europe that are ready to spend money so Azerbaijan-like lavishly on something grandly incomprehensible,” Avdokhin writes.

On 12-28 June, Baku will host the first European Games under the auspices of the European Olympic Committee. According to media estimates, the Games will cost the Azerbaijani population $10 billion. However, they have become a serious headache for the locals with numerous bans and demolition of property. The preparatory works for the Games are accompanied by crackdowns and brutal repressions against dissent.

Source: Panorama.am