Baku, April 4, AZERTAC The “Insidethegames.biz” portal has published an article hailing Azerbaijan’s excellent organization of the first European Games in 2015. “Baku won the bid to host the European Games with 38 out of 48 votes at the 41st General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012. In 2013, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev appointed First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva as Head of the Organizing Committee for the Games. The Baku 2015 European Games Operations Committee (BEGOC), formed under this directive, worked with the EOC to successfully organize the event,” the article said. The article also quoted President of the EOC, Patrick Hickey, who also praised the high level of organisation of the I European Games: "Many cities hosting such events spend five to seven years preparing. However, Baku has honoured the European Olympic Movement by organising these magnificent Games on a continental scale at a high level in just thirty months.”“These Games have also created favourable conditions for strengthening cooperation between Azerbaijan and European countries in the economic, political, and sports fields, as well as for the development of tourism,” the article mentioned.“Under the leadership of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva, the inaugural European Games in Azerbaijan's capital set the standard for future events,” the article emphasized. “The Azerbaijani team won a total of 56 medals - 21 gold, 15 silver and 20 bronze - and finished second behind the Russian team, which won 164 medals - 79 gold, 40 silver and 45 bronze. The British team finished third with 47 medals - 18 gold, 10 silver and 19 bronze.Turkey, building on the success of Konya 2021, is preparing for the IV European Games, aiming to match the standards set by Azerbaijan at the inaugural European Games. Baku 2015 has been hailed by athletes, experts and the media as a unique event in the world,” the article concluded.