Azerbaijan Sports Media issued a statement over burning the Flag of Azerbaijan at the opening ceremony of the European weightlifting championship held in Yerevan, APA reports.
The statement notes that what happened in Yerevan is unimaginable, and at the same time, such a blatant display of disrespect for the basic values of any sports tournament is simply unacceptable.
"We express our outrage over the burning of the State Flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship held on April 14, 2023 in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
Covering various sports events both in our country and abroad is an important part of our professional activity. It is known that sports competitions mean brilliant records and healthy competition. Along with the joy of victory and defeat, there is another unique feature that makes sports so valuable. It provides a unique opportunity for people to communicate even when it is impossible to connect with all other communication means. Sport, as reflected in the essence of the Olympics, is a herald of peace throughout the world
Despite the sensitivity of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, after comprehensive discussions regarding the participation of our athletes, the Azerbaijani national team left for Yerevan.
Azerbaijan regularly hosts major international sports events. We covered all these competitions, including the competitions in which Armenian athletes participated. Such disgusting events have never happened in our country. It is the main responsibility of the organizers to provide conditions for athletes to compete and enjoy the true spirit of sportsmanship.
We call on the international community to condemn the heinous incident that took place at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan. As sports journalists of Azerbaijan, we want to have the opportunity to do our work by giving sports joy to our audience," reads the statement.
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