Baku 2015 European Games hosted the second and final Communications Seminar for European National Olympic Committee press attachés and international media representatives. During a two-day programme 54 delegates from around Europe visited Baku 2015 venue Baku 2015 European Games hosted the second and final Communications Seminar for European National Olympic Committee press attachés and international media representatives. During a two-day programme 54 delegates from around Europe visited Baku 2015 venues and attended a plenary session covering preparations for the European Games and Games-time media facilities. Several Baku 2015 directorates made presentations to seminar participants including senior staff from Press Operations Protocol Broadcast and Communications. Delegates also celebrated the last Tuesday before Novruz a traditional Azerbaijani holiday which marks the New Year and the arrival of spring. Mr Simon CLEGG Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015 said: “Strengthening relationships with communications teams from the National Olympic Committees and members of their media who will be covering the inaugural European Games is vital for us. “The support and cooperation of National Olympic Committees is important in educating the continent about this new major event in the European sporting calendar in helping to raise anticipation for the Games and creating awareness of our work here in Azerbaijan.” More than 1 000 journalists from across Europe are expected to attend the Baku 2015 European Games along with communications officials from each National Olympic Committee. The accreditation deadline has been extended to Friday 3 April due to the high level of press interest. Ms Jayne PEARCE Director of Press Operations of Baku 2015 said: “This is a valuable opportunity for us to brief European National Olympic Committees and media about the European Games to ensure that they understand exactly how Baku 2015 will operate during Games time.We also have a chance to demonstrate how the I-Zone will work at Baku 2015. This is a new concept that will replace the Press Mixed Zone and Media Conference Room at venues during the Games.” More than 6 000 athletes will compete over 17 days of competition this summer with newspapers websites radio and TV stations all committed to covering the first European Games. Mr William LOUIS-MARIE Baku 2015 Director of Communications said: “It is very important for us to ensure that the National Olympic Committees are fully involved with Baku 2015 and we are working closely with them in communicating all relevant updates and news to help make the first ever European Games a success.”
UNICEF and Baku 2015 EC launch partnership
UNICEF and the Baku 2015 European Games Operations Committee have announced a world-first collaboration that seeks to enrich the lives of young people in Azerbaijan. The agreement gives adolescents a voice on how safe and inclusive sport can benefit their UNICEF and the Baku 2015 European Games Operations Committee have announced a world-first collaboration that seeks to enrich the lives of young people in Azerbaijan. The agreement gives adolescents a voice on how safe and inclusive sport can benefit their lives and enhances their role in the development of a social legacy of the Games. The agreement was signed by Mr Azad RAHIMOV Azerbaijan’s Minister of Youth and Sports and Chief Executive Officer of Baku 2015 and Ms Marie-Pierre POIRIER UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. Minister RAHIMOV said: “As a young country ourselves we are committed to investing in our youth to secure a sustainable future. We are delighted to be working closely with UNICEF to maximise the legacy of the European Games and deliver opportunities to involve children and young people through sport across all of Azerbaijan.” The agreement will include online consultations in 21 districts of Azerbaijan which will feed into a National Adolescent Consultation on Safe and Inclusive Sport to take place in Baku two days before the Games. A further focus of the agreement is on encouraging young people to become involved in sport in their communities and make full use of the numerous state-of-the-art sport facilities built across the country. Ms POIRIER said: “We know that all around the world sport is a very powerful tool to inspire passion bring people together and communicate important messages about children’s rights on a massive scale. The Baku 2015 Games represent a unique platform for collaboration between all sectors of society to invest in children and adolescents as the most effective way to invest in society as a whole. The Games provide us with a great opportunity to discuss the right to safe and inclusive sport for Azerbaijani boys and girls and the role of sport as a tool for the inclusion of the most disadvantaged children and adolescents.” Simon CLEGG Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015 added: “This agreement between UNICEF and Baku 2015 is an embodiment of the Olympic spirit that the European Games are bringing to Azerbaijan. My team and I are incredibly excited about how together with UNICEF we can deliver life-changing opportunities through sport to the country’s youth.” Through the programme adolescents will have the opportunity to discuss the importance of sport in their lives and the opportunities linked to Azerbaijan’s hosting of the European Games and future major sporting events such as the Formula 1 European Grand Prix the Islamic Solidarity Games and UEFA 2020 matches. They will also exchange information and views on the legacy of sporting events with peers from Brazil a country that has hosted and will host another global sporting event. Under this agreement Baku 2015 will also support UNICEF in promoting the importance of children’s participation in sport through official broadcasting channels and social media bringing the passion of Baku 2015 athletes and spectators around the world to the cause of all children.
FENG Tianwei breaks Chinese winning streak at Asian Cup
Singapore’s FENG Tianwei made history on 15 March 2015 as she upset the top seed LIU Shiwen (CHN) at the GAC Group 2015 Asian Cup held from 13 – 15 March 2015 in the Indian city of Jaipur. The GAC Group 2015 Asian Cup is the continental qual Singapore’s FENG Tianwei made history on 15 March 2015 as she upset the top seed LIU Shiwen (CHN) at the GAC Group 2015 Asian Cup held from 13 – 15 March 2015 in the Indian city of Jaipur. The GAC Group 2015 Asian Cup is the continental qualification for the Men’s & Women’s World Cups later in the year with the top three placed players gaining direct entry to the prestigious events. In the Women’s Singles gold medal match FENG overcame world number three LIU 4-2 (8-11 11-8 11-9 7-11 11-1 12-10) to claim her first ever Asian Cup gold breaking China’s streak of eight consecutive gold in the Women’s Singles category. Earlier in the group stage 28 year old FENG also defeated the other Chinese female player in action ZHU Yuling in 3 straight games (11-7 11-5 11-5) which is her first win in nine encounters with ZHU on the international arena. After her triumph against the world number three in the final hurdle an excited FENG shared “I never thought I would win! In the sixth game I knew I had a chance I wanted to win so much I was so nervous!” In a tense final against compatriot FAN Zhendong (CHN) World number 2 XU Xin (CHN) came back from 1-3 deficit to win 4-3 (11-8 11-13 11-13 5-11 11-8 11-4 11-7 taking his third Asian Cup Men’s Singles crown. Despite winning in the 7-games thriller against the reigning Youth Olympic Champion XU stated ‘”I won the first game quite comfortably and I believed that I could win. However I made some mistakes during the match and lost the next three games. After losing the fourth game I tried to stay calm.” “FAN Zhendong played well he was very positive. It was just as hard today as two years ago in Hong Kong” added the 25-year-old. In the bronze medal match Japan’s Jun MIZUTANI & China’s ZHU Yuling secured the third ticket to the Men’s & Women’s World Cups respectively. MIZUTANI had accounted for TANG Peng (HKG) 4-0 (11-4 11-6 11-9 11-8) while ZHU defeating Ai FUKUHARA (JPN) 4-1 (11-8 7-11 12-10 11-6 11-9) to gain direct qualification from the Asian Cup. With the conclusion of the GAC Group 2015 Asian Cup all eyes now turn to the GAC Group 2015 ITTF World Tour German Open that starts 18 March in Bremen Germany. Qualifications for ITTF Men’s & Women’s World Cups: NN Table Tennis Club 2015 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup: Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (GER) Marcos FREITAS (POR) Panagiotis GIONIS (GRE) LIU Jia (AUT) Petrissa SOLJA (GER) Irene IVANCAN (GER) GAC Group 2015 Asian Cup: XU Xin (CHN) FAN Zhendong (CHN) Jun MIZUTANI (JPN) FENG Tianwei (SIN) LIU Shiwen (CHN) ZHU Yuling (CHN)
Fenerbahce seals half title in Linz
After the first final leg of the 2014/15 Women`s European Champions League Turkish champion is much closer to the crown than two times WECL winner from Austria! Fenerbahce continued its winning streak in Linz beating away Froschberg 3:2 after 3 hours an After the first final leg of the 2014/15 Women`s European Champions League Turkish champion is much closer to the crown than two times WECL winner from Austria! Fenerbahce continued its winning streak in Linz beating away Froschberg 3:2 after 3 hours and 45 minutes contest in Sportpark Lissfeld Hall. Returning match will be held in Istanbul on April 4th (12h00 CET). WU Yang was too strong for Linz`s players even for LI Xioadan who entered the game against her with 9-0 individual score. World`s no. 7 showed its class winning two matches in straight games. Powerful attacker LI Xiaodan overcame good defender Irene IVANCAN in four games of the opening encounter. Guest started very well in first three sets but took just the first one. It was clear that Chinese has needed a time to find solution for defense of her opponent. Sofia POLCANOVA missed two good chances in first two sets against WU Yang having 8:4 lead in the first and two set balls in the second (10:8). The best ranked WECL player reinforced her play always when it was necessary. The most interesting match was one between two left-handers LIU Jia and Elisabeta SAMARA. Linz`s player missed one match ball in the fourth set (but before that she saved two set balls) while guest responded instantly on her strokes. It could say that the powerful backhand of LIU determined the winner. It was obvious especially in the latest fourth set when the 2005 individual European champion used often that her weapon. After nine WECL wins in a row this season LI Xiaodan suffered first defeat playing against still undefeated WU Yang. Froschberg`s player missed a set ball in the opening game but after that guest dominated with her strong defense. Finally POLCANOVA and IVANCAN got the chance to decide the winner. It showed that there was too much pressure for 21 year old host which talent is undeniable. Linz`s player led after 3rd set but the 2011 ECH runner-up easily won the next two to secure advantage to her side before the returning leg. It was Fenerbahce`s 9th consecutive victory in nine rounds this season. WECL final leg1 Linz AG Froschberg – Fenerbahce Sport Club 2:3 LI Xiaodan – Irene IVANCAN 3:1 (9:11 11:8 11:9 11:4) Sofia POLCANOVA – WU Yang 0:3 (10:12 10:12 2:11) LIU Jia – Elisabeta SAMARA 3:2 (9:11 11:9 11:6 11:13 11:7) LI Xiaodan – WU Yang 0:3 (10:12 6:11 6:11) Sofia POLCANOVA – Irene IVANCAN 2:3 (11:7 9:11 11:8 4:11 3:11)
OVTCHAROV survives twice Orenburg wins
The MECL top seed Fakel Gazproma Orenburg secured big advantage for the returning semi-final match beating away Wienviertel Niederosterreich 3:1. Audience in the Wolkersdorf`s hall fully enjoyed in the interesting contest especially in the open fight be The MECL top seed Fakel Gazproma Orenburg secured big advantage for the returning semi-final match beating away Wienviertel Niederosterreich 3:1. Audience in the Wolkersdorf`s hall fully enjoyed in the interesting contest especially in the open fight between Stefan FEGERL and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV who both showed all the beauty which table tennis has. Rematch will be held on the Russian soil on April 3rd. The man of the match was for sure Dima OVTCHAROV who showed astonishing hardness in both his games against Stefan FEGERL and HOU Yingchao. In both matches German was two sets down but managed to win after several situations in which he was almost lost. Former world`s no. 10 HOU Yingchao met actual no. 10 Vladimir SAMSONOV in the opening encounter as Byelorussian won in four games. After three back to back points Chinese led 7:4 in the fourth set but guest turned to 9:8 making the crucial step to the victory. World`s no. 50 Stefan FEGERL was very very close to defeat the best ranked European player on the ITTF ranking list Dima OVTCHAROV (no. 6). Austrian took first two sets and had three match balls in third set (10:7) plus one more in the fifth one (10:9). But as many times the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist performed his best on the peak of the drama. In the fifth set he was three points behind (6:9) before the host secured new match ball. Finally German concluded the clash by one good serve. This contest was like boxing clash between two good punchers as both make several nice strokes from the floor having long and exciting rallies. Fans were on the feet many times. Daniel HABESOHN brought unique point for the host side beating Alexey SMIRNOV in five games. Austrian started with a decent lead in the fifth set while Russian had no power to reach him as he did in the fourth one (in both host had 3:0 lead). Finally OVTCHAROV provided the victory for the top seeded MECL club. Like in the opening match he couldn’t find good rhythm in the first two sets but after that everything went smoothly for him. 2014/15 MECL semi-final leg1 Wienviertel Niederosterreich – Fakel Gazproma Orenburg 1:3 HOU Yingchao – Vladimir SAMSONOV 1:3 (11:9 7:11 5:11 9:11) Stefan FEGERL – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 2:3 (11:6 11:7 10:12 6:11 10:12) Daniel HABESOHN – Alexey SMIRNOV 3:2 (8:11 11:9 11:8 9:11 11:3) HOU Yingchao – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 2:3 (11:4 11:5 8:11 4:11 8:11)
Safe trip for Metz and Tarnobrzeg
The club that won the title in the Women’s ETTU Cup twice will need a miracle to reach the ultimate stage of the same competition. In the first leg of the ETTU Cup semi final played at home soil in Spain UCAM Cartagena TM suffered straight matche The club that won the title in the Women’s ETTU Cup twice will need a miracle to reach the ultimate stage of the same competition. In the first leg of the ETTU Cup semi final played at home soil in Spain UCAM Cartagena TM suffered straight matches defeat against French Metz. World’s no 23 from Germany WU Jiaduo showed her class in the duel against LI Xiang. FU Yu of Portugal currently ranked at position no. 18 beat Maria XIAO. That was the only duel when guests were under pressure. Maria showed good performance in opening game and lost next one by narrow margin. At the end Yunli SCHREINER that showed why French club has so many European success to its credit. Long trip to Taganrog in Russia did not affect performance of the KTS SPAR Zamek Tarnobrzeg players. In straight games Polish side secured the victory in the opening leg of the Women’s ETTU Cup. Olga BARANOVA was the only player who escaped 0:3 defeat in hosts team. LI Qian needed four games to give guests the lead. Anna BLAZHKO against HAN Yine and Valentine SABIATOVA against Natalia PARTYKA failed to win the game. UCAM Cartagena TM – Metz TT 0:3 LI Xiang – WU Jiaduo 0:3 (7:11 7:11 5:11) Maria XIAO – FU Yu 0:3 (7:11 12:14 4:11) Iulia NECULA – SCHREINER Yunli 0:3 (7:11 3:11 7:11) TMK Tagmet – KTS SPAR Zamek Tarnobrzeg 0:3 Olga BARANOVA – LI Qian 1:3 (4:11 11:9 1:11 8:11) Anna BLAZHKO – HAN Yine 0:3 (6:11 12:14 10:12) Valentine SABIATOVA – Natalia PARTYKA 0:3 (4:11 7:11 3:11)
Borussia opens the gap in France
German champion did a good job in France playing 1st semi-final leg of 2014/15 Men`s European Champions League: Chartres ASTT – Borussia Dusseldorf 1:3. Both sides played without their Asian members GAO Ning (Chartres) and Sharat Kamal ACHANTA (Borussia) German champion did a good job in France playing 1st semi-final leg of 2014/15 Men`s European Champions League: Chartres ASTT – Borussia Dusseldorf 1:3. Both sides played without their Asian members GAO Ning (Chartres) and Sharat Kamal ACHANTA (Borussia) who are on the Asian Cup but it was bigger setback for the host side knowing that Singaporean is their crucial player. Returning game will be held on April 4th. Although GAO was not present Chartres performed good. In every game they were close to the win but guests showed their strength in crucial moments. Especially Timo BOLL who took two points against Damien ELOI and Robert GARDOS. The youngest player in the game Patrick FRANZISKA brought the first lead to Borussia. The 22 year old German actual world`s no 60 defeated no. 18 Robert GARDOS in five games. Guest did two decisive steps in the early fourth set (6:0 lead) and in the middle of the fifth one when he got three consecutive points (6:5 9:5). German secured decent that advantage by few good serves. The 46 year old Damien ELOI recalled the audience on his best days but it wasn`t enough to beat Timo BOLL who won after five sets. In the fifth one they were leveled until 6:6 but German then took three in a row. Fans enjoyed all the time especially in the late second set when the opponents showed astonishing skills. World`s no. 43 Par GERELL took the first point for his club beating no. 19 Panagiotis GIONIS in straight games. Greek missed good chance in the opening set having two set balls. From that moment Swede dominated. Finally BOLL overcame GARDOS in five games to secure the big advantage for his side. The most interesting moment maybe crucial one was seen on 8:8 in the fifth set when both had one lucky bounce but the last one belonged to German who improved his seson`s individual record on 11-2. 2014/15 MECL semi-final leg 1 Chartres ASTT – Borussia Dusseldorf 1:3 Robert GARDOS – Patrick FRANZISKA 2:3 (11:8 12:14 12:10 3:11 9:11) Damien ELOI – Timo BOLL 2:3 (5:11 12:10 11:9 2:11 9:11) Par GERELL – Panagiotis GIONIS 3:0 (13:11 11:4 11:9) Robert GARDOS – Timo BOLL 2:3 (11:6 5:11 11:6 3:11 8:11)
Fenerbahce set to show its power
Linz AG Froschberg third time on the top or Fenerbahce the very first one – that is the last question in the actual 2014/15 Women`s European Champions League`s season! However the final outcome will have significant place in the history of this competiti Linz AG Froschberg third time on the top or Fenerbahce the very first one – that is the last question in the actual 2014/15 Women`s European Champions League`s season! However the final outcome will have significant place in the history of this competition because Linz has a chance to become the first club with three titles whilst Turkish champion fights to widen the list of the champions. So far there were just four WECL winners but each of them lifted the trophy twice: Sterilgarda 2006 and 2007 Heerlen 2008 and 2010 Froschberg 2009 and 2013 and Berlin 2012 and 2014 (the 2010/11 season was cancelled due to global economic crisis). First final game will be played this Sunday (17h15 CET) in Austria while returning match comes on April 4th. The host side is aware that the top seed is the clear favorite leading by world`s no. 7 player WU Yang. But Linz`s live legend LIU Jia speaks: “We will fight till the last ball hits the ground we saved all our energy in this season for this two games so we are turbocharged and full of self confidence. Let`s play!” Guests enters the first encounter with 8-0 score (Linz has 6-2) determined to win remaining two matches. Fenerbahce`s Manager Gürhan YALDIZ explains: “This final will be our second in a row in the Champions League. In the semi-final we beat defending champion (Berlin) and we would like to defeat one more WECL champion. Our aim is to reach for the very first time this prestigious Cup winning all 10 matches. I am sure that it will be too difficult because the others (Berlin and Linz ) won it twice but we have enough experience enough power and enough concentration to win this match. I think also that our funs will support us in Linz. However good luck for both teams!”
BOLL predicts very hard match
Borussia`s Coach Danny HEISTER stressed that “playing in Chartres always means having a hard time” bearing in mind bad experience from previous two seasons: “They have got a small sports hall combined with a great amount of spectators and special circums Borussia`s Coach Danny HEISTER stressed that “playing in Chartres always means having a hard time” bearing in mind bad experience from previous two seasons: “They have got a small sports hall combined with a great amount of spectators and special circumstances for the game. Our team prepared itself very well for the first leg game. Chartres has players with a very high skill level so it is going to be a hard game for us. We will play the game with a lot of self-confidence and naturally try to reach a good basic position for the second leg game.” Timo BOLL arrived in France in good shape after he set the new national record on recent individual German Championships. He knows very well how hard is to win in Chartres thus he said that French champion has a strong team which deserves a lot of respect: “We´d like to do it better this time after the negative experiences versus this team in the last years. We are going to face very cheerful spectators and a motivated opponent and especially a hard match. We certainly hope to reach a good result to accomplish heading into the final in the re-match here in Düsseldorf.” Greek Panagiotis GIONIS is agreed with his team mate but he is confident that his side is able to provide good result for the rematch: “It will be a tough game for us in France. We are all well prepared and ready for this game. We are naturally trying to win the game and hope to reach the final after the second game.” The youngest player in Danny HEISTER`S crew Patrick FRANZISKA added: ”All players did well lately so we have enough self-confidence for the upcoming match. I also played better since my comeback after the injury. That is why I am hoping for a victory. We will play the game with great pleasure.”
Baku 2015 EG signs Kapital Bank as Official Partner
Baku 2015 European Games has today signed an agreement with Kapital Bank to serve as the Official Retail Bank of this summer’s inaugural event. The deal sees Kapital Bank become the eighth and final Official Partner of the Baku 2015 European Games. Mr Aza Baku 2015 European Games has today signed an agreement with Kapital Bank to serve as the Official Retail Bank of this summer’s inaugural event. The deal sees Kapital Bank become the eighth and final Official Partner of the Baku 2015 European Games.
