Athletes from the TRNC were invited for the first time to the Hankendi-Baku ultramarathon, but it was already too late

The TRNC Athletics Federation received an invitation from Azerbaijan for the ultramarathon from Hankendi to Baku, which will take place from February 29 to March 4. However, the athletes will not be able to go to the competition.

The TRNC Athletics Federation, which had observer status at the first meeting of the Turkish States Athletics Association, received an invitation from Azerbaijan to the Hankendi ultramarathon, which will take place from February 29 to March 4.

Participants in the ultramarathon, covering stages from Hankendi to Evlakh (83 kilometers), Evlakh to Ujar (84 kilometers), Ujar to Gadabay (88 kilometers), Gadabay to Gobustan (70 kilometers), and Gobustan to Baku (55 kilometers), will arrive in Baku on March 4.

The winners of each stage will be awarded separately, and the winners of the overall ultramarathon will receive the main prizes.

However, despite the invitation, the participation of athletes from the TRNC in the race turned out to be impossible. The official invitation was received by the TRNC Athletics Federation at noon on February 22, 2024. In the following hours, the authorized bodies of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan, to which athletes from Northern Cyprus applied for registration, reported that the deadline for applications for participation in the ultramarathon expired on February 15 and that late registration was not possible.

"We received the first official invitation abroad, we are happy! We are very sorry that we could not go," the TRNC Athletics Federation said in a statement.

The Federation also thanked the authorities of Azerbaijan for the invitation and invited Azerbaijani athletes to half marathons that will take place in Northern Cyprus in April.

"We hope to host representatives of the Azerbaijan Athletics Federation in our country, whom we have invited to the half marathon and marathon to be held in April 2024," the invitation says.