Shirvan: The first competition started today at the III CIS Games held in Azerbaijan, APA’s Shirvan bureau reports. The first events took place in Gabala, where table tennis competitions began.
According to Azeri-Press news agency, the table tennis matches are being held at the Gabala Olympic Sports Complex, with team events for both men and women scheduled for today. Finalists will be determined on the first day of the competitions. In the men’s quarterfinals, athletes from Russia and Belarus will face each other, with the winner advancing to the semifinals to compete against players from Kazakhstan. In the other semifinals, Azerbaijani and Uzbek athletes will compete. The women’s competitions start with the semifinals. Here, Uzbekistan-Russia, Belarus-Azerbaijani tennis players will meet. The winners of the semifinals will meet in the final the next day, and the losers will become bronze medalists of the III CIS Games.
The event sees participation from 1,624 athletes and 2,337 representatives from 13 countries. It has been confirmed that 340 athletes will represent Azerbaijan, 4 from Pakistan, 262 from Russia, 254 from Uzbekistan, 240 from Belarus, 147 from Kazakhstan, 144 from Tajikistan, 126 from Kyrgyzstan, 48 from Turkmenistan, 38 from Trkiye, 11 from Cuba, 6 from Kuwait, and 4 from Oman. The competitions will be held in 12 venues covering 23 sports, including archery, badminton, 3×3 basketball, boxing, canoeing, canoe sprint, fencing, football U-16, Greco-Roman wrestling, judo, karate, rhythmic gymnastics, rowing, sambo, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, trampoline gymnastics, volleyball, women’s wrestling, and freestyle wrestling. The III CIS Games will take place in seven cities of Azerbaijan – Ganja, Yevlakh, Mingachevir, Gabala, Sheki, Goygol, and Khankendi. The opening ceremony is scheduled for September 28, and the closing ceremony will be on October 8 at the Ganja City Stadium.