In addition, the statement called on the European Weightlifting Federation to take action against Armenia, claiming that it was unacceptable for sports to be made political.
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Following a flag-burning incident that happened during the opening ceremony, Azerbaijan withdrew its participants from the European Weightlifting Championships in Armenia. The event took place in Yerevan, the capital of Azerbaijan’s rival country, Armenia. The two nations have a long-standing conflict over Azerbaijan’s Armenian-majority Nagorno-Karabakh territory, which has resulted in two wars, one in the 1990s and the most recent in 2020. During the opening ceremony, a man took Azerbaijan’s flag from a flag-bearer and burnt it on fire, forcing Azerbaijan to return their athletes.
According to a joint statement published by Azerbaijan‘s Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Olympic Committee, the incident was ‘barbaric,’ and it was difficult for Azerbaijani athletes to compete in such a “atmosphere of hatred” and “psychological pressure.” In addition, the statement called on the European Weightlifting Federation to take action against Armenia, claiming that it was unacceptable for sports to be made political. The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan criticized the act and asked that Armenia bring the person responsible to justice.
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For his act at the European Weightlifting Championships, Armenian police allegedly arrested the perpetrator, designer Aram Nikolyan, for a short length of time before discharging him without charges. The Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports denied that there were any safety risks for the athletes participating in the competition. It stated that the incident was resolved quickly and had no bearing on the athletes’ safety guarantees.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at odds over Nagorno-Karabakh since the early 20th century, but the conflict intensified into a full-fledged war with the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. After a ceasefire in 1994, the war was put to an end, but there have been isolated incidents of violence ever since. They engaged in two wars over the rugged breakaway region, the most recent of which took place in 2020. With the aid of Turkey, Azerbaijan was able to reclaim control of the area during the most recent conflict in 2020, although the status of Nagorno-Karabakh remains unresolved.
Sports have often been used as a political tool in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict. The two nations have previously faced off in international sports competitions, most notably in a football match in 2008 that was affected by political tensions which was canceled. The withdrawal of Azerbaijan from the European Weightlifting Championships is another example of how the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been affecting sports. However, the withdrawal of Azerbaijani athletes is a huge disappointment considering the amount of hard work the athletes must have put in for the competition and Azerbaijan being a strong contender in weightlifting in recent years as well. The European Weightlifting Federation has yet to comment on the incident or Azerbaijan’s withdrawal.
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