GULIYEV Ramil

General
COMPETING FOR TURKEY
He previously represented Azerbaijan at international level, including at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, but in 2011 switched to compete for Turkey. The Azerbaijan Athletics Federation appealed to the International Association of Athletics Federations [IAAF] that he should not be allowed to represent his new country for three years. The IAAF upheld the appeal and he was not eligible to compete for Turkey until April 2014. "I chose Turkey because there's not much enthusiasm for athletics in Azerbaijan, and there's no good facilities, camps or training possibilities. Also, Turkey is a brother country with very close relations. It is just like Azerbaijan, almost the same." (TRT World, 31 Dec 2015; azerisport.com, 27 Apr 2011; SportsDeskOnline, 20 Aug 2008)

EARLY DAYS
He initially wanted to be a computer engineer but then worked as a circus acrobat assistant when he first began pursuing athletics career. "I used to work in different jobs. But I wanted to be a computer engineer. I received offers from big companies. I would have been a computer engineer if I had not been an athlete." (fanatik.com.tr, 22 Jan 2020)