Intro:

EOC chief Patrick Hickey on Thursday (11th June) defended the European Games - and Azerbaijan - ahead of inaugural event in Baku.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Patrick Hickey, European Olympic Committee president: (on withdrawal of Netherlands from hosting 2019 Games)

"First of all let me rest assured, it doesn't put any shadow whatsoever over these Games, and I'm sorry if you didn't hear my answer earlier on - but I certainly will repeat it for you, that the withdrawal of the Netherlands from 2019 is not a problem whatsoever. Two of the original six cities that we were negotiating with contacted me overnight to come back into the frame for 2019. They had already indicated they would move for 2023, and the fact that this will not overshadow these Games is because I am so confident that after this successful Games in Baku we will have new entrants to the marketplace looking for 2019."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Patrick Hickey, European Olympic Committee president: (on low standard of athletics and swimming in Baku)

"No, not at all. You ask that question in a way that (suggests) we try to disguise that athletics and swimming are not the top athletes. No, not at all. It's been from the very start that athletics and swimming are not the top level of athletes. In the rest of the sports, yes they are the best athletes, and in many cases there might be not some people there. I go back and remind you that we are so happy with the level of top level athletes that we have here. I said earlier on that we have 150 Olympic medallists, 200 world champions and the Games started as an experimental Games, with only ten sports and now we've mushroomed into what we have, and this will mean that the second and third editions will be phenomenal successes."