The “Azerbaijan Support for Disabled Cyclists” Public Association was officially registered on December 27, 2018. The founders are Amid Hasanguliyev, a Group I person with physical disabilities and wheelchair user, and Bahlul Aliyev, a Group I Karabakh war veteran and wheelchair user.
One of the main objectives of the “Azerbaijan Support for Disabled Cyclists” Public Association is to organize various handbike rides and competitions in the capital and regions, thereby encouraging people with disabilities to adopt an active lifestyle and nurturing professional athletes who can represent the country. Handcycling serves both rehabilitative and health-promoting purposes for people with disabilities, while also contributing to productive leisure time and increased self-confidence.
Para-cycling is one of the sports designed for people with physical disabilities. The origins of this sport date back to the 1980s. Initially, para-cycling competitions were held for visually impaired athletes, with a sighted pilot riding in front and the visually impaired athlete riding behind. Over time, people with cerebral palsy, limb amputations, and even wheelchair users began participating in para-cycling.
In Azerbaijan, handcycling was first introduced in 2017 by Amid Hasanguliyev, a Group I wheelchair user, through the establishment of the Azerbaijan Disabled Cyclists Club and Public Association. Using handbikes they assembled themselves, the association participated in a marathon organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation under the slogan “You cover the distance with your legs, we cover it with our hands”, and carried out inclusive cycling rides together with various cycling clubs.
The sport of para-cycling was officially established as the 15th sport discipline within the Azerbaijan National Paralympic Committee on November 1, 2018. In Azerbaijan, the most widely promoted form of para-cycling is handcycling.
Handcycling is a sport performed using hand-operated bicycles (handbikes). Handbikes are capable of moving at high speed on smooth surfaces and can also comfortably navigate rough terrain. With their simple design and ease of control, handbikes are accessible to users of different abilities. Handcycling was included in the program of the Summer Paralympic Games for the first time in Sydney in 2000. This sport has a rehabilitative nature, instills self-confidence in people with disabilities, and promotes a healthy lifestyle. Children and adolescents with physical disabilities can also easily use handbikes. Global experience shows that the highest achievements in this sport belong to wheelchair users, visually impaired athletes, and, in general, men and women with various physical disabilities. Handcycling is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as a professional sport within the para-cycling category.
Overall, para-cycling is a highly important sport for people of various disability categories regardless of age, especially for individuals with impairments of the musculoskeletal system.
Currently, all necessary conditions for the development of this sport in Azerbaijan have been created at the Republican Velodrome by the Azerbaijan Cycling Federation, and practical measures are actively being implemented.
In 2021, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the “Azerbaijan Support for Disabled Cyclists” Public Association purchased six hand-operated bicycles from the United States.
During 2021–2022, in addition to engaging war veterans and people with disabilities in para-cycling, numerous inclusive rides and competitions were organized.
It should be noted that for the first time in the history of Azerbaijan, the country was represented at the World Championships held on September 11–15, 2019, in Emmen, Netherlands, in the handcycling discipline by Mehman Ramazanzade, an athlete of the national para-cycling team.
The Chairman of the “Azerbaijan Support for Disabled Cyclists” Public Association is Amid Hasanguliyev.
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