The opening ceremony was attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee Chingiz Huseynzade, Deputy Speaker of the Milli Majlis and others. Minister of Youth and Sports Azad Rahimov said that the history of sports volunteering in Azerbaijan is very young: “In order to increase the knowledge and skills of volunteers, international specialists with great experience and skills in this field have been attracted to our country. Congratulating the participants on the occasion of the First Forum of Sports Volunteers, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee Chingiz Huseynzadeh linked the organization of such a forum with the active activities of sports volunteers during the pandemic. He told the forum participants that in the first years of Azerbaijan’s independence, he paid special attention to the activities of volunteers at international events, the Olympic Games and the World Championships. “Volunteers worked with me as an official representative. In many cases, the volunteers were older people, not younger ones. ” The vice-president of the NOC said that he was interested in the reasons why more elderly people, as well as young people, volunteer. NOC Vice President Chingiz Huseynzadeh said he witnessed older volunteers joining the volunteer movement in their youth and wanting to gain experience in this field over the years. That is why joining the volunteer movement at a young age has a positive impact on the sustainability of the process, he said. In Salt Lake City, the NOC official, who shared the words of the doctor of sciences, head of the laboratory and volunteer professor with the forum participants, once again drew attention to the importance of the volunteer movement. He said the elderly professor in Salt Lake City said he would keep his volunteer clothes at home and proudly tell his grandchildren that he volunteered at events. “In fact, we should be proud of being connoisseurs.” Continuing his remarks, NOC Vice President Chingiz Huseynzadeh reiterated the success of Azerbaijan in volunteering during the European Games, which has little experience in the volunteer movement. “Half of the success of the European Games is due to volunteers. Because they played a great role in the recognition of Azerbaijan in the world. ” The NOC vice-president also expressed confidence that the volunteers would promote Azerbaijan at a high level. Linking the announcement of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev as the “Year of Volunteer” by the high value given to volunteers, the NOC official said he believed that Azerbaijani volunteers would continue to succeed in their activities, justifying the President’s confidence.