Iran-Azerbaijan Cycling Tour (September 29 - October 3, 2022)
UCI ASIA TOUR 2.1, ROAD RACE
Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran 
The Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony for the 35th edition of Iran-Azerbaijan Cycling Tour was held in the remarkable Petrochemical Amphitheater, in Tabriz. The spectacular public amphitheater hosted about 800 hundred people, the local dignitaries, the members of the City Council, the City Mayor, The Province Governor, the Cyclists, the team managers, the coaches, directors of the teams and the commissionaires to enjoy a mild September weather in Tabriz. 
Reciting some verses from the Holy Koran and playing the Iranian National Anthem opened the ceremony to start officially the Tournament at 5.00 p.m. local time. Stoodehnejad, General Director of Sports & Youth Organization in East Azerbaijan Province, as the Director of the Tour welcomed the participants in the Cycling Tournament to the city Tabriz. Stoodehnejad emphasized the new feature of the tour; he said that the five days of the tour would be broadcast on Iranian National TV, Sports Channel and the local Sahand TV. The director of the Tour described the route of the tour, saying that the tour would be done on the roads of the cities in the three Iranian provinces of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan and Ardebil. Stoodehnejad thanked the Officials of UCI, the Minister of Sports & Youth, the Acting President of the IRI Cycling Federation and all the local authorities who supported the Organizing Committee to hold the Tour. 
Abdin Khorram, the Province Governor of East Azerbaijan, was the next speaker. Khorram expressed words of welcome to all the participants, wishing them all to have some memorable days in Azerbaijan Province. The Province Governor introduced Tabriz to the foreign guests, talking of the historical importance of the city. He appreciated the Members of the Organizing Committee for their efforts to carry on the tour for 35 successive years. 
Hashem Kandi, the Acting President of the IRI Cycling Federation, expressed his gratitude toward the President of UCI, the Commissaries (Erwin Michel Kistemaker from Netherlands, Sung Woong Park from South Korea and Jamal Ad-din from Malaysia) and the Cyclists who would keep the flag of Azerbaijan Cycling Tour swaying. 
Then the Message of Mr. David Lappartient, the President of UCI, was read by Erwin Michel Kistemaker. Mr. Lappartient had expressed his happiness for the organization of the 35th edition of the tour after a three-year hiatus for the COVID-19 pandemic. UCI President wished the riders the very best of luck for what promised to be a hugely exciting race. 
Then a musical melodrama, called Hail Haidar Baba, was performed on the stage. The Melodrama was an adaptation of a long 76-stanza poem entitled Hail Haidar Baba composed by the distinguished poet Mohammad Hussein Shahryar (1904-1988). 
Finally, the teams were presented to the audience. The cyclists in their costumes and the directors of the teams walked on the stage particularly decorated for the ceremony and they were introduced to the audience. The Opening ceremony was warmly welcomed by the participants and the audience on a very fine afternoon. 
The first stage of the tour will start at 11.00 a.m. local time on Thursday, September 29, 2022 from The Public Shah Goli Park in Tabriz to Urmia (the capital city of the West Azerbaijan Province.
All the speeches were interpreted in English language. 

Written by: Abdullah Bageri Hamidi