The price of Azerbaijan to host the first European Games

From BBC correspondent Rayhan Demytrie South Caucasus

• June 4, 2015
• In Europe

The Crystal Hall hosted the Euro Vision Song Contest 2012, but volleyball and other sports hosting Games

"After the European Games in Baku, people around the world know that Azerbaijan in Europe."

For Sport Minister Azad Rahimov, the motivation billions of dollars of Azerbaijan was clear effort to the first European Games, an official Olympic franchise host.

The Government of Azerbaijan will put the country on the map.

European 6,000 athletes in 20 sports in new construction sites in the capital, Baku, is the official cost of the Game $ 1.2 billion (£ 700m).

But the real number could be much higher. Olympic Stadium will cost only $ 600 million more than $ (391 million pounds).

Then there is the newly built fire and water bodies, the national gymnastics arena, the Olympic Village and a half-dozen temporary places for Triathlon, basketball and other sports.

In addition, Azerbaijan is for travel and accommodation for all athletes. To complete the party atmosphere, where the Ministry of Transport announced that the participants have free hundreds of taxis from London bought specifically for the Games.

European Games

12 hasta 28 June 2015

253

Medal events for 17 days

50

Participating country

• 18 competition venues

• 6 temporary scenarios

• 7351 beds in the Olympic Village

Baku 2015

"Totally profitable '

But European Games in the context of falling oil prices and the value of the depreciation of the national currency of a third place. Some wonder whether Azerbaijan can afford.

"When most Azerbaijanis are struggling to make ends meet, all this wasteful spending is really irritate people," says Arastun Orujli, head of the research center of the East-West in Baku.

"For the government on European Games has the highest priority. This is the public relations for the government. But from an economic perspective, the games are completely useless."

What are the European Games?

European games have evolved from the European Olympic Committees and launched its General Assembly in Rome in December 2012 Design.

The concept is a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic Games or the Commonwealth.

Asia has been holding their equivalents Games every four years since 1951. It was the same year that the Pan American Games came to be.

A deadly fire in Baku has led to some of the government's priorities into question

There was a suggestion that public frustration over the last month, as the Azeris reacted angrily to social networks to a deadly fire at a high-rise block of flats in Baku. Fifteen people were killed and dozens more injured.

Many cartoons published online, mocking the government's obsession with the European Games and accused the image value on security.

Baku Mayor represents shows the burning building with the caption. "I lit the Olympic flame of the largest"

Officials said the fire was to be used by one in order to build the Soviet era resurface highly flammable coating material causes.

At least another 200 old buildings in Baku were coated in the same combustible coating, including President Ilham Aliyev instructed to be removed immediately.

"The surface coating is part of the practice of the government to the true appearance, as things to hide," Arastun Orujlu said.

"For example, the Baku airport, a new road, and along the road, built by the authorities a wall, which is illuminated at night and looks good. But the main objective of poverty was behind it to hide these walls, and the illusion of prosperity and development. "

The European Games are not the first large-scale international event in Baku. In 2012 he organized the Euro Vision Song Contest.

The view from the new fitness center

At that time activists have drawn attention to human rights violations such as forced evictions, political persecution, corruption and lack of freedom of expression.

"Sing for Democracy" was organized by Rasul Jafarov, a young human rights activists.

Also hoping for a similar campaign to start before European games. But now he's in prison, sentenced in April to six and a half years on charges including abuse of power and fraud.

Nearly all the virulent criticism of the government are now in prison. These include human rights activists, lawyers and journalists.

"The government did not want to take any chances this time," Human Rights Watch said principal investigator for the South Caucasus Giorgi Gogia.

"She made a concerted effort to those who are going to gloomy picture thinking efforts of the country to be silenced."

But the authorities deny the arrests of its critics are politically motivated.

"Nobody is persecuted in Azerbaijan on the basis of their faith or political activities. The rule of law and the full independence of the judiciary is guaranteed in Azerbaijan", said the Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev.

But it seems that the law selectively applied against those who challenge the authorities directly.

The most well-known journalist in Azerbaijan, Khadija Ismaylova, is in custody since December 2014.

The president's wife Mehriban Aliyev (R) is Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Games

But his colleagues continued detention of organized crime and project reporting (OCCRP) corruption published a survey that started in the business activities of the Azerbaijani ruling family.

The OCCRP noted in a recent report that offshore companies closely associated with President may made in a coup by the State in the operator of the largest mobile communications in the country, be as much as $ 1 billion.

But with a decreasing pool of independent journalists, some Azerbaijanis are able to read the accusations of high-level corruption.

However, since the games began on June 12 approaches, the state-controlled media showed President Aliyev and his wife Mehriban, President of the Organizing Committee of the Games, cut red tape and to new places and open projects officially declare.

Government officials say that the criticism of the human rights situation in Azerbaijan is only a campaign to discredit the country.

"The use of noble sporting principles for political purposes and as such, its use for political propaganda and as a smear campaign against Azerbaijan is unacceptable," said Foreign Ministry spokesman m ', he said.

"Azerbaijan, as a young and dynamic development of democracy, indicating a willingness, the first Games in Baku hosts who deserve recognition and understanding, as well."