On December 23, the Ministry of Youth and Sports held a gala ceremony dedicated to summarizing the sports achievements of 2025. The event was attended by Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva, Head of the Baku Media Center Arzu Aliyeva, as well as heads of sports organizations and federations, media representatives, athletes, coaches, and members of the sports community. “Neftchi” Sports Club also took part in the ceremony.

During the event, the Ministry of Youth and Sports announced the best performers of 2025 across various nominations. In the category “Winner of Sports Competitions among State Institutions,” SOCAR secured second place.
In the “Best Sports Club of the Year” nomination, “Neftchi” Sports Club was awarded second place.

The awards were presented to Mr. Hafiz Zeynalov, Chairman to the Board of “Neftchi” Sports Club.

Representatives of “Neftchi” Sports Club also achieved notable individual distinctions. Jala Aliyeva (wrestling) was named Best Female Athlete of the Year, while Hasrat Jafarov (Greco-Roman wrestling) received the title of Best Male Athlete of the Year. Another athlete of the club, Isa Rustamov (weightlifting), placed third among the best male athletes of the year.
In the “Best Paralympian of the Year” nomination, all three awards went to representatives of “Neftchi” Sports Club: Ilham Zakiyev (para judo) took first place, Roman Salei (para swimming) finished second, and Kamran Zeynalov (para shooting) secured third place.

These achievements at the end of the year are a source of great pride and satisfaction for all of us. We sincerely congratulate all the awarded athletes and wish them continued success and new accomplishments in their future careers.