Azerbaijan, an oil-rich country nestled between Russia and Iran, is hosting the first-ever European Games.
The mini-Olympics in Baku are a pet project of its autocratic president, Ilham Aliyev.
He’s also the president of the National Olympic Committee.
He reportedly invested $10 billion in the infrastructure that will host 6,000 athletes from 50 nations, competing in 20 sports, starting this weekend.
Some 1,300 international journalists are coming to cover the even...
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Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.