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IPS 90TH ANNIVERSARY CONGRESS, BAKU 2014
77th AIPS Congress in Baku closes in extraordinary spirit



The official handover of the AIPS flag at the Closing ceremony of the 77th Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan.


By Nadia Al-Massalmeh, AIPS Young Reporter
BAKU, May 05, 2014 - With an extraordinary ceremony hosted at the Buta Palace in Baku the 77th AIPS Congress came to quite an end on Wednesday evening: Traditional dancers, Azeri folk singers and modern pop music combined with traditional Azeri food made the night one to remember for all those present.
Azad Rahimov, Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan, closed the 90th Anniversary with proud words: “It was an honour for us to have hosted the AIPS Congress in Baku and to have the crème de la crème of sports journalism with us.”
“We were glad to show a bit of our culture, of our hospitality and our traditions to you,” he added. Rahimov also emphasized how delighted the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev was to be present at the opening ceremony of the 77th AIPS congress and personally get to know some of the best sports journalists in the world.
The capital at the Caspian Sea is looking forward to hosting the inaugural European Games next summer and Rahimov was thrilled that AIPS members had got a chance to see how much the city had progressed. “For us it is very important that all of you can see with your own eyes that the preparations for the European Games are going full speed ahead,” Rahimov said, promising an athlete-focused Games with” the highest of standards”.
Rahimov especially thanked Roslyn Morris, former AIPS Secretary General, for her effort and help in the cooperation of the Organizing Committee and AIPS.
AIPS president Gianni Merlo directed warm words of thanks to Azad Rahimov and Organizing Committee of the 77th AIPS Congress: “We had the best possible conditions to work in; also, we got the chance to understand the feeling and the heart of Azerbaijan.” The array of international journalists attending agreed and honoured Rahimov and the Organizing Committee with standing ovations.
Along with many awards and presents given throughout the very special evening, one of the visual highlights was the Turkmenian present for Gianni Merlo: A traditional red robe with accompanying hat and belt that the AIPS President was to try on instantly – a perfect symbol of the lightheartedness of the entire evening.
The Closing Ceremony also set the stage for the handover for the next AIPS Congress in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2015.
As the handover was officially signed and as the AIPS flag was passed on to the Sports Journalists Association of Uruguay, president Gianni Merlo was presented with a special 90th anniversary gift, an exact replica of the ‘Charrua’ trophy that the Uruguayan association awards to the best athlete of the year.
As the handover and closing ceremony in glittering Baku came to an end, the upcoming 78th AIPS Congress in Montevideo, was given an outstanding level of welcome and organization to aspire to.