Azerbaijani athletes withdraw from European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan
The Azerbaijani team has withdrawn from the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan after the country’s flag was set on fire during the opening ceremony, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Olympic Committee said in a joint statement on Saturday.
They claimed the Azeri athletes’ security “is not ensured and their normal participation in competitions is impossible due to psychological pressure.”
The Azerbaijani weightlifters will now return home.
The European Weightlifting Championship kicked off in the Armenian capital on Friday evening. During the opening ceremony, designer Aram Nikolyan grabbed the Azerbaijani flag from its bearer and set it alight on the stage. He was briefly detained after the incident.