The names of Sali Suleyman and Rashid Yusifov among Azeri wrestlers of the beginning of the twentieth century were well-known all over the world. They were demonstrating their skills in the wrestling competitions held in such big cities as Washington, Paris, Chicago, London, Rome. Sali Suleyman was always considered as the most dangerous competitor for the world wrestlers. He was called "Daghestan lion", "East favorite". There was no wrestler either in his Motherland or foreign countries who was able to lay his back onto the floor. Sali Suleyman was breaking iron chains easily, was able to make a knot from the iron birch. The legends about him are still well-known. Rashid Yusufov also didn't leave behind his compatriot with his popularity.

Baku was intensively developing as an oil city at the beginning of the last century and it turned into one of the largest industrial centers of the world. In connection with it, oil specialists and workers from different countries were coming to Baku. With the purpose of spending their free time interesting, the foreigners were trying to develop such kinds of sport in Azerbaijan, which were popular in their countries. As a result of it, those years such kinds of sport as swimming, light athletics, heavy athletics, gymnastics, football and number of other kinds of sport started popularizing.