Similar criticism was made by rights activists after Azerbaijan was allowed to hold the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest and the 2015 European Games. International rights groups and Azerbaijani opposition activists lodged protests when Formula One officials signed a 10-year contract with Azerbaijan in 2014 allowing it to host the top-level auto races, arguing that Baku's poor human rights record should preclude the country from being allowed to hold such an important international sporting event. The ties between Arif and Azad Rahimov are perhaps not unusual in a country in which the current president, Ilham Aliyev, replaced his father, Heydar, after he died in 2003 and where the first lady, Mehriban Aliyeva, was appointed in February by her husband to be Azerbaijan's vice president. Ismayil, who has lived in exile abroad since a government crackdown on NGOs in Azerbaijan in 2014, said the staging of the Formula One race in Baku is a "serious source of corruption that only benefits foreigners and local officials at the public's expense."Īzerbaijan was ranked tied for 123 out of 176 countries on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2016. "Also, if the contracts are signed between father and son there is a big chance that the prices are exaggerated." "The ordinary businessmen tend to think that participating in pubic bids is useless, since nepotism always wins," Ismayil said. ![]() ![]() "This trend is very dangerous for the competition in the market," Zohrab Ismayil, chairman of the Support The Free Economy public organization, told RFE/RL when asked about Arif Rahimov and his position as director of the Azerbaijani Grand Prix. No such tender was held in awarding Arif Rahimov's company the right to organize the Baku races. It is a fact that has led to suggestions of a conflict of interest and allegations that the younger Rahimov was tapped to organize the prestigious Formula One (F1) event because of his father.Īccording to Azerbaijani law, a public tender has to be held for any government contract worth more than 50,000 manats ($29,400). Rahimov, 30, is the son of Azerbaijani Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov. With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.As the flashy Formula One circuit comes roaring into Baku for the second straight year, that the organizer of the race is the son of the country's sports minister is fueling renewed controversy and reminding outsiders of Azerbaijan's reputation for nepotism and corruption.Īrif Rahimov is the executive director of Baku City Circuit (BCC), the company responsible for organizing and promoting the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which will be raced along the capital city's Caspian Sea coast and wind through its picturesque Old Town on June 25. ![]() From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi. We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips. GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage.
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