20:21

On September 28, the solemn opening ceremony of the III CIS Games was held in Ganja.

Axar.az reports that President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva watched the event.

First, the tricolor Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan was brought to the arena and raised to the sounds of our National Anthem.

Then there was a solemn parade of athletes from the countries participating in the III CIS Games.

At the opening ceremony, our karate player Asiman Gurbanli and our taekwondo player Zemfira Hasanzadeh brought the Azerbaijani Flag to the arena.

Then, the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the III CIS Games, Samir Sharifov, and the Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Nurlan Seytimov, made speeches.

Then, the swearing-in ceremony of the athletes and their coaches took place.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev declared the III CIS Games open.

The event continued with an artistic part.

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It should be noted that the city of Ganja has been selected as the "Sports Capital" of the III CIS Games. This decision was made at a meeting of the Physical Education and Sports Council of the CIS member states in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

Competitions at the III CIS Games, which will last until October 8, will be held in 12 sports venues, and athletes will compete for 1,694 medals (505 gold, 505 silver, 684 bronze) in 23 sports. In addition, it is planned to award special awards to athletes who have contributed the most to the success of the winning teams.

It should be noted that the I CIS Games were held in Kazan, Russia, in 2021, and the II Games were held in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in 2023.