Sport is a battlefield: there are victories and defeats …

It is, of course, unfortunate that our judokas did not achieve the results we wanted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. As it is known, our Federation has made a tough decision on the coaching staff. But it is not the right approach to harshly condemn our athletes. Each of them won an Olympic license for their successful performances and victories in very prestigious international competitions.

Along with personal qualities, the factor of luck also plays a big role in sports. The competitions of this Olympics are no exception.

But let’s not forget that Azerbaijani judo has a glorious Olympic tradition. We must believe that these traditions will continue in the coming years.

By the way, I congratulate Irina Kindzerska-Aliyeva, who remained faithful to this tradition with her bronze medal in Tokyo.

I also congratulate Alfonso Dominguez and Rafig Huseynov, who won bronze medals in boxing and Greco-Roman wrestling. We have other athletes who can show high results in wrestling. Hopefully, they will make us happy.

The spirit of victory of our people is strong! Our heroic sons proved it with the victory of Karabakh.

Our chances of victory in Tokyo are not over yet. I wish perseverance and success to our athletes waiting for their turn!

Azer ASKEROV