Pat Hickey, EOC President attended the rehearsal for the 2015 Baku Games this morning. He also had time to run a leg of the torch relay (pictured)
Hickey who Tuesday night arrived in Baku, a few hours later was already carrying the inaugural European Games Torch, participating in the Flame Relay that is touring the city ahead of Friday Opening Ceremony.
After having touched two iconic stops: at the Old City and at the Flame Towers, Baku most famous landmarks and symbols of Azerbadjan past and present history, the Flame continued its tour passing through Baku’s Parks and Cultural Spaces, such as the amaizing Heydar Aliev Cultural Centre.
A very busy time for EOC President, the EOC Executive Committee members and the Coordination Commission, and of course the Baku 2015 organisers! The Olympic family is expected in Baku in the coming hours and days, first of all IOC President Thomas Bach, many IF Presidents and dignitaries from all over Europe.
From 12 to 28 June, more than 6000 athletes from 50 European countries will compete in 20 sports,16 of them Olympic, in the very first European Games, an event that the European family was dreaming of since almost a century.
Baku 2015 has announced that all tickets for the Opening Ceremony of the first European Games, to be held in the brand-new Olympic Stadium, have now been sold.
It will still be possible to enjoy the show without a ticket, however, as the Opening Ceremony will be streamed live on Baku2015.com and YouTube at 9pm Baku time on June 12, preceded by live coverage of the big day from midday Baku time on the site and through social media.
The ramp-up to the Opening Ceremony will include a live blog, tweets and posts of the excitement building throughout the Azerbaijani capital. Exclusive behind-the-scenes clips will be revealed, and a 10-minute highlights package will be made available minutes after the end of the event.
Mr Simon Clegg, Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015, said: “This is an amazing achievement and something of which we should be extremely proud for what will be the biggest night in Azerbaijan’s sporting history.
“For 30 months we have been transforming a vision into a reality, and now we will welcome the most significant addition to the European sporting calendar for 50 years with a full stadium.”
Tickets for sporting competitions are also selling briskly, with over 100 of the sessions already sold out.
Spectators looking to buy purchase Baku 2015 sport competition tickets can make use of the ticket booths across Baku and the one in Mingachevir, or alternatively buy online atwww.baku2015.com/tickets. Both ticket sales and exchange of online purchase confirmation receipts are available at the ticket booths.
