Azerbaijan withdraws athletes from weightlifting event after flag burning

The Azerbaijani delegation has withdrawn from the European Weightlifting Championships at the Armenian capital after the country's flag was burned at the opening ceremony.

A statement from Azerbaijan's Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic Committee said on Saturday that 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 emphasised that the act contradicted the goals and principles of sports, which promote peace and mutual understanding among nations. 

"The politicisation of sports is absolutely unacceptable," the statement said.

"During the opening ceremony of the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan, Armenia, the barbaric act took place, and the Azerbaijan flag was set on fire."

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'Barbaric act'

"This is deeply unacceptable and shows that Armenia is not ready to host such events," the statement added.

"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," said Farid Gayibov, Azerbaijan's minister of youth and sports, on Twitter.

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.

The competition is being held from April 15 to April 23.

The 101st European Weightlifting Championships will include 380 athletes from 40 European countries.

The European Championship is a qualifying event for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

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