While initially in the top three in consideration for the 2019 World University Games, Baku, Azerbaijan has decided to postpone their bid for the Games. The decision will be announced on the 9th of this month, where Budapest, Hungary and Brasilia, Brazil are left for contention.
According to Tofig Khanaliyev, President of the Freewill Student Sport Society of the republic of Azerbaijan, those responsible of the Government, the city of Baku and the student movement, certain key criteria to the bid have changed since the beginning of the process leaving Baku to postpone their bid. This mainly is centered around the fact that their city planning has not be finalized, and their State University could end up be relocated.
The relocation would have a major impact on the hosting and transportation plans within the city.
In addition, Baku is hosting three large scale events in the near future; Baku European Games in 2015, the World Chess Olympiad in 2016 and the Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017. They would have just two years to provide new accommodations for all athlete participants, officials, family and friends, media and more for the 2019 World University Games.
That timeline alone would be tough for the city of Baku.
The city of Baku invests a lot into their youth sports every year, and the government plans on to continue their investment in it. The plan on hosting an event like the World University Games in the future, and will focus on the requirements from the FISU plus eco-friendly, sustainable buildings in their future bids.
Baku is a city of about 2.1 million citizens on the Caspian Sea, and is rich with both centuries of history and an influx of big oil money as the biggest port on the Caspian.