Azerbaijan, a former Soviet satellite, is considered one of Europe's lesser known sporting nations. Its fans don't care. As the first European Games got into full swing on Saturday, the first hosts showed the passion they have for their sportspeople, and they were willing to mix political wrangles with sporting rivalries. For its part, the home team rewarded the raucous support with three gold medals on the first full day of competition, AP reported. President Ilham Aliyev, who also runs the country's Olympic committee, was at the wrestling, where the home fans roared as he presented Azerbaijan's first wrestling gold medal of the games to Rasul Chunayev in the 71-kilogram category. "I didn't want a medal I could win for this country to go to another country, and I managed it," Chunayev said. -- SPA 00:20 LOCAL TIME 21:20 GMT تغريد
