Dubai: The organisers of the Islamic Solidarity Games have expressed confidence that the UAE will be among the biggest supporters of the fourth edition of the event scheduled to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan next year.
Addressing media a month in advance of the one-year countdown to the Games, Faisal Abdul Aziz Al Nasser, General Secretary, International Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF), reiterated that a sporting nation like the UAE will make its presence felt at such an important event next year.
“We have always had the support of the UAE and we are confident this country will field a huge contingent for next year,” Al Nasser told Gulf News.
“The ISSF operates on the strengths of solidarity, passion, culture and vision and the UAE has been an ideal partner in promoting these principles that will go a long way in healing this world,” he added.
Based on the driving principle of ‘Celebrating Unity’, the inaugural ISG was held in 2005 in Saudi Arabia with 34 founding member countries and more than 5,000 athletes, while the second edition, that was initially scheduled to be held in 2009, was organised in April 2010 in Iran.
The third Games was in Palembang, Indonesia with 2,575 participants representing 39 member nations, while organisers, the Azerbaijan Islamic Solidarity Games Organising Committee (AISGOC) are now expecting more than 5,000 participants for the fourth edition to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from May 12-22, 2017.
“Baku was gained tremendous experiences from staging a successful inaugural edition of the European Games in 2015, and we are confident of organising the ISG on a similar level. And for the first time we will be in a position to host more than 5,000 athletes from all of our 57 member countries,” Al Nasser related.
For the first time, the Games will be held in 22 different sports including football, handball, basketball, athletics, swimming along with two Paralympic sports. Additional details are expected to be released during the one-year countdown scheduled for May 12.
“The ISG is one of the key pillars of the ISSF, and we are committed to assist in the development of the Games by spreading the general awareness across the globe, and by creating a meaningful value platform for all our partners and stake-holders so that we can transform the ISG into one of the leading multi-sporting events in the world,” Al Nasser said.
Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF)
Established: 1985
President: Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Bin Abdul Aziz
Members: 57
Sports: 14 core sports staged every four years
Earlier editions: 2005 Saudi Arabia; 2009 Iran; 2013 Malaysia
Website: www.issfed.org
