Azerbaijan's medallists from this year's European Games in Kraków and Małopolska are to be financially rewarded after a special fund was set up by the country's President Ilham Aliyev ©YouTube

A fund of more than half-a-million dollars has been set up by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev to reward medallists from the European Games.

The Azerbaijan Government has set aside AZN900,000 (£404,000/$530,000/€471,000) to be shared among athletes and coaches who were successful at the event in in Kraków and Małopolska.

Azerbaijan won a total of 11 medals at the Games, including three gold, to finish 24th overall.

Two of those gold medals came in karate with Tural Aghalarzada winning the men’s kumite 67 kilograms and Iryna Zaretska the women’s kumite 68kg.

The third gold medal came in kickboxing, where Farid Aghamoghlanov won the men’s full contact 63.5kg.

Karateka Iryna Zaretska, in the the women’s kumite 68kg, won one of Azerbaijan's three gold medals ©EKF
Karateka Iryna Zaretska, in the the women’s kumite 68kg, won one of Azerbaijan's three gold medals ©EKF

In fact, all 11 of Azerbaijan’s medals came in combat sports.

They also won two silver medals, Sayyad Dadashov in the men’s 54kg taekwondo and Mahammad Abdullayev in the men's super-heavyweight boxing.

Azerbaijan also won six bronze medals, three in Muaythai and one each in boxing, karate and taekwondo.

Mahammad Abdullayev, in red, won a silver medal in the men's super-heavyweight boxing ©Kraków-Małopolska 2023
Mahammad Abdullayev, in red, won a silver medal in the men's super-heavyweight boxing ©Kraków-Małopolska 2023

The performance represented Azerbaijan's lowest medal total in the three European Games staged.

They had finished second in the overall medals table in 2015 when they hosted the inaugural European Games in Baku.

They won a total of 56 medals, including 21 gold.

At the second European Games, in Minsk in 2019, Azerbaijan ranked 10th with a total of 28 medals, including five gold.