Surrounded by the magical atmosphere of the Haydar Aliyev Congress Center, the opening ceremony of the ISSF World Cup Stage 5 in Gabala (AZE) took place tonight.
The Head of the Executive Committee of the Gabala District, Mr. Sabuhi Abdullayev, first addressed the audience, where authorities mixed themselves with athletes, coaches and officials: “I warmly welcome you all to Gabala, a rising city with centuries of history,” he said. “It’s very important for us to see you all here for this important competition, and we wish you all a safe and fair competition!”
The ISSF Technical Delegate, Mr. Peter Underhill followed on the podium: “On behalf of our President, Mr. Olegario Vazquez Raña, and of our Secretary General, Mr. Franz Schreiber, I thank you all for the unbelievable welcome. I want to express the gratitude of the whole International Shooting Sport Federation for being again the host of one of our competition,” said Mr. Underhill. “A competition that once more, you all delivered excellently.”
“I would also like to extend our special gratitude to all the volunteers, whose contribution is always priceless,” he concluded, finally declaring “the ISSF World Cup in Gabala officially open!”