Prior to the start of the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, Baku 2020 announced the opening of a new ski resort in Azerbaijan. It will be the first major ski resort in the country. Baku 2020 CEO Konul Nurullayeva said it will compel Azerbaijan to send athletes to the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics and to the Winter Olympics in the future. Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has declared 2012 as a "year of sport" which will help promote the Olympic Movement in the country as well as promote Baku's Olympic bid.