Azerbaijan withdraws from European Weightlifting C’ships in Armenia after flag burning
ANKARA (AA) — The Azerbaijani delegation withdrew from the European Weightlifting Championships on Saturday after the country’s flag was burned at the opening ceremony in the Armenian capital.
A statement from Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic Committee said the flag was demonstratively burned by an officially accredited person at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Friday.
It emphasized that the act contradicted the goals and principles of sports, which promote peace and mutual understanding among nations. “The politicization of sports is absolutely unacceptable,” the statement said.
“During the opening ceremony of 2023 European Weightlifting Championships in Armenian capital Yerevan, the barbaric act took place in which the Azerbaijan flag was set on fire. This is deeply unacceptable and shows that Armenia is not ready to host such events,” Farid Gayibov, Azerbaijan’s minister of youth and sports, said on Twitter. “We call on the international community and international sports institutions to strongly condemn this barbaric act. We also call on the European Weightlifting Federation to impose sanctions against Armenia.”
The European Weightlifting Championship began on Friday in Yerevan. Designer Aram Nikolyan burned the Azerbaijani flag on stage and took it out of the hall during the opening ceremony. He was detained and escorted to one of Yerevan’s police stations, but was freed shortly.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
