President of the European Olympic Committees [EOC] Patrick Hickey was awarded the Order of Glory, Azerbaijan’s highest honour, by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.
President Hickey received the award, known as the Sharaf Order, on his 70th birthday in a ceremony at President Aliyev’s office. Speaking after the award, President Hickey said:
“I am honoured to have received this award, and I am honoured to have played a small part in this young country’s rapid development.
But the greatest gift I could have received from Azerbaijan is this fantastic stage for Europe’s finest athletes at Baku 2015. I am thrilled at the success of this inaugural edition so far and the future looks very bright for the European Games.”
