By David Gold

Ilham Zakiyev_14_AugustAugust 14 - Azerbaijan has named 22 athletes who will represent them at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, most of whom will compete in athletics and judo.

Athletics is the sport with the most athletes, at eight, including Beijing 2008 gold medal-winning F55/56 shot put champion Olokhan Musayev (pictured below).

Ilham Zakiyev (pictured top, in blue), a two-times judo champion in the +100kg category, heads up the seven-strong judoka squad, as Azerbaijan's most successful Paralympian.

He will be joined by Karim Sardarov, Tofig Mammadov, Rovshan Safarov, Bayram Mustafayev, Ramin Ibrahimov and Afag Sultanova on the mat.

Azerbaijan was fourth in the judo medal table at Beijing 2008.

The other former gold medallist in the squad is Oleg Panyutin, who won the F12 long jump at Athens 2004.

Olokhan Musayev_14_August
Also included in the delegation are powerlifters Maharram Aliyev and Elshan Huseynov, archer Zinya Valiyeva, swimmer Natali Pronina and shooters Yelena Taranova and Akbar Muradov.

In total the country won two gold medals as well as three silver and five bronze four years ago, all coming exclusively in judo and athletics.

It was their largest Paralympic medal haul since first competing in the Games at Atlanta 1996.

Azerbaijan have been holding a training camp at Stoke Mandeville, the birthplace of the Paralympics in 1948, when London last hosted the Olympic Games.

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