The first open training session of the Azerbaijan national ice hockey team took place on 13 February. The national team held this important training session, which is aimed at promoting the activity and attracting more participants and fans in the future, at the Ice Rink in Baku, the capital of the Eurasian country. 

The venue, located in the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Concert Complex, was the focus of the recently formed hockey team's training session, which saw the participation of 18 players from different age groups.

The team's head coach, Aleksandr Bilinov, has noticed a recent increase in interest in the sport: "We have made further progress. The number of children has increased significantly. At the beginning there were only two or three. Now we have 18 to 20 in our team. There are players of different ages in the squad".

As well as the increase in the number of children taking part, he was also pleased with the quality and improvement of the children: "Kids who were new and couldn't skate can now skate perfectly in the general group. Everyone can achieve what they want. The players here are enthusiastic. They come to training in a festive mood".

As for their goals, they are ambitious: "We want to take part in major competitions and represent Azerbaijan. It wouldn't make sense otherwise. I think we can say something concrete in the next five years.

The team's coach, Zaur Mammadaliyev, said his main goal was to develop ice hockey in Azerbaijan: "The first ice rink was built in 1990, but due to certain reasons, the arena was closed. Ice hockey is a more comfortable and exciting sport for men. I believe that hockey will become even more popular in Azerbaijan in the future. 

The main objective of the training session held earlier this week is to form the Azerbaijan national ice hockey team into a long-term plan.