Konya, 10 August 2022 (TDI): Hammer thrower from Azerbaijan, Anna Skidan, has won a gold medal at the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games currently being held in Konya, Turkiye.
Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 wins 1st #gold 🥇 medal at Islamic Solidarity Gameshttps://t.co/tK8DlsKIU9
— Azerbaijan Emb. to Pakistan (@AzEmbPak) August 9, 2022
Anna Skiddan is a Ukrainian-Azerbaijani female athlete, who participates in hammer throwing competitions internationally and nationally. In the 2012 Summer Olympics, the athlete competed for Ukraine, and then in the 2020 Summer Olympics, she represented Azerbaijan.
First Gold Medal at Islamic Solidarity Games
The gold medal won by Anna Skidan is the first for Azerbaijan at the current Islamic Solidarity Games. The Azerbaijani athlete shared thoughts on her victory with the journalists after the women’s hammer throwing event.
Anna Skidan noted that She is happy that she has won a gold medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games for the second time. She last won her medal at Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku, five years ago.
The athlete said “I am grateful to Azerbaijan for this opportunity. It was definitely a positive experience for me.” She noted that winning a gold medal is always a ‘great pleasure’. Furthermore, she said that “I am grateful to the team for their support and, of course, I am happy with the result”.
Previously, Anna Skidan won the gold medals for Azerbaijan at the 2015 Summer Universiade and the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games. Her personal best record for throwing the hammer the furthest is 75.29 meters, a feat she achieved in 2017.
Moreover, around 4,200 athletes from 56 countries are participating in the 5th Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkiye. Additionally, a total of 281 athletes from Azerbaijan are representing their country in this multinational sporting event.
Islamic Solidarity Games
Islamic Solidarity Games is a multinational and multi-sport event. In this event, all 56 members of OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) compete in a number of sports.
Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation and OIC organize, manages and control the rules and regulations of the Islamic Solidarity Games.
Moreover, the idea of the Islamic Solidarity Games originated from Saudi Prince Faisal bin Fahd at the 3rd Islamic Summit in 1981. In 2005, the first Islamic Solidarity Games took place in Saudi Arabia, with the non-inclusion of women’s sports.
