At the opening ceremony of the 2023 European Weightlifting Championship in Yerevan, Armenia, an act of vandalism was committed and the Azerbaijani flag was set on fire, said Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan Farid Gayibov, APA reports.
He stressed that it is completely unacceptable and shows that Armenia is not ready to host such events:
"Since Yerevan cannot guarantee the safety of our athletes, the Azerbaijani delegation will not participate in the competition and they are expected to return home. Armenia should ensure the safe return of Azerbaijani athletes, but now they are locked in a hotel without access to the media. Azerbaijan calls on the international community and international sports organizations to strongly condemn this barbaric act. We also call on the European Weightlifting Federation to impose sanctions against Armenia. We believe that this incident shows that Armenia is unable to hold international sports competitions and ensure the safety of athletes."
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
