AKIPRESS.COM - One hundred and fifty Olympic medal winners will compete at the Baku 2015 European Games, confirming the strong appeal of the inaugural event for athletes as they seek to become the first ever European Games champions in their sports, AzerNews said.

Offering exposure to non-Olympic sports is part of the European Olympic Committees’ central vision for the European Games to be an innovative new addition to world sport – distinct from the Olympic Games and other continental multi-sport Games such as the Asian Games or the Pan American Games.

Simon Clegg, Chief Operating Officer of Baku 2015, said: "Having such high-calibre athletes at Baku 2015 reflects the importance of this new event to the European sporting calendar. Athletes, NOCs and European and international sports federations are looking at Baku 2015 as a great new opportunity for success and exposure within the European market, and as a stepping stone towards Rio 2016."

Baku 2015 is the first ever European Games, an exciting and innovative multi-sport event for the continent. There will be a total of 20 sports: 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. Almost 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over 17 days of competition.

Twelve of the sports will offer qualification opportunities for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Those sports include archery, ahletics, boxing, cycling, judo, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball and wrestling.

Baku was awarded the Games by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012. The Baku European Games Operations Committee (BEGOC) organizes and runs the Games in cooperation with the EOC.