The Baku Olympic Stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the IV Games of Islamic Solidarity on May 12.
The opening ceremony was led by the head of the Organizing Committee, First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva and the President of the Sports Federation of Islamic Solidarity Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdulaziz.
At the competitions which will last until May 22, about 3 thousand athletes from 54 countries will compete for 269 sets of medals in 23 sports.
The most impressive team was represented by Turkey – more than 300 athletes, followed by Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and others.
The ceremony ended after midnight with a firework display.
The decision to hold the Islamic Solidarity Games in the Azerbaijani capital Baku was made in July 2013 at the General Assembly of the Sports Federation of Islamic Solidarity in Jeddah.
According to Azerbaijani Sports and Youth Minister Azad Rahimov, 100 million dollars were spent on the Islamic Solidarity Games.
