Today, the development of sports in Azerbaijan is one of the priority areas of state policy. As a result of the successful continuation of the sports policy founded by the great leader Heydar Aliyev, by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who has headed the National Olympic Committee since 1997, and with the great care of the First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, Azerbaijan has become a real sports country on a global scale.
The Azerbaijan Athletics Federation contributes to the progress of sports in our country with its activities. Currently, national and international athletics competitions are successfully organized in our country, high conditions are created for the preparation of our athletes for prestigious competitions, and at the same time, important steps are taken in the direction of discovering new talents and ensuring the mass of athletics.
In recent times, the results of our athletes in various international competitions have improved. Meanwhile, Anna Skida's succes at last year's World Championship in Budapest should be specially mentioned. Although our representative in the hammer throwing competition was very close to the medal, she took the 4th place in the end and secured the license to Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
During the past year, a series of events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev were organized under the joint organization of AAF and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. At the same time, mass running competitions, 100 km ultramarathon and other events  in Baku, Ganja, Ismayilli should be noted. This year, the Khankendi-Baku ultramarathon, which lasted from February 29 to March 4, had historical importance. In the race held under the motto "Go forward with pride", in addition to local athletes, foreign athletes also covered a total distance of 380 km.
Today, AAF is recognized as a trusted partner by top athletics institutions. During the year, the delegation led by the president of the federation, Javid Gurbanov, participated in various international events, including the World Athletics, European Athletics and Balkan Athletics Report-Election Conference.
Currently, important work is being done to expand the geography of athletics and lay the foundation for future success. In November of last year, a training base for throwing events was built in Amirjan settlement and handed over to athletes. The facility has hammer throw, javelin throw, discus throw, shot put, long jump sectors and running tracks for athletes to use. In addition, the new office of the federation, which meets modern requirements, has been commissioned. The President of the European Athletics Association Dobromir Karamarinov, who visited our country on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Azerbaijani athletics, and other honored guests took part in the opening ceremony.
The representatives of the Federation visited different regions of the republic and examined about 1000 students within the framework of the project of identifying talented children. The selected schoolchildren have been taken under supervision and necessary measures are being taken to ensure their development.
We believe that the work carried out will soon bear fruit and our athletes will delight our people with new victories!