Baku 2015 announce partnership with French National Olympic Committee and Sentez-Vous Sport initiative

The Baku 2015 European Games is proud to announce a partnership with the French National Olympic Committee and the Sentez-Vous Sport festival.

The celebration of sport encourages people to lead a more active lifestyle and will take place across all of France from 13 – 21 September.

The event, now in its fifth year, will be held in schools, universities and businesses with the support of the country’s National Olympic Committee and all of the French sporting federations.

The aim of Sentez-Vous Sport is to promote sport as part of a healthy lifestyle and encourage more people to take up regular physical activities through educational workshops.

Baku 2015 will be connected with all communications around the event, including TV promotions, social media and print media in France.

Six of Azerbaijan’s medallists at the recent Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing will also represent their country at the event following their recent successes.

Said Guliyev (taekwondo gold), Teymur Mammadov and Igbal Hajizada (wrestling gold), Jabbar Najafov and Leyla Gurbanova (wrestling silver) and Nazim Babayev (triple jump bronze) will visit the French National Institute of Sport and Physical Education and attend sporting events in France.

Mr Azad Rahimov, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports and Chief Executive of Baku European Games Operation Committee (BEGOC), said: "Sentez-Vous Sport is an innovative way of encouraging more people to make sport a central part of their lifestyle.

"With 66 per cent of the population under the age of 35, Azerbaijan’s current young generation is very enthusiastic about sport and in the future, we would like to replicate this outstanding initiative in our own country."

More than 100 sports will be represented, and ambassadors include basketball player Tony Parker, four-time NBA champion and European Champion, and Laure Manaudou, who won swimming gold at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics.

The campaign targets different age groups on different days of the week, using workshops and activities to introduce people to new sports and physical exercises.

Denis Masseglia, President of the National Olympic Committee of France, said: "We are delighted to welcome Azerbaijan and Baku 2015 to this initiative and their support will encourage and reinforce our efforts to develop Sentez-Vous Sport as a way of energising our nation."

Mr Simon Clegg, Baku 2015 Chief Operating Officer, said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for Baku 2015 European Games to help promote sport and raise awareness of the Games in another part of the continent.

"France are a major European sporting power and to support Sentez-Vous Sport in their work is a link to the desire to leave a legacy of healthy living in Azerbaijan after the Games."

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is www.aroundtherings.com, for subscribers only