The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan issued a joint statement on burning of Azerbaijani flag by an officially accredited person at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship in Yerevan, Armenia.
The statement reads:
The commission of such a barbaric act at the ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Armenia and its approval by the Armenian public, and touting the person who committed that act as a hero, is a clear example of ethnic hatred, racism, xenophobia, and Azerbaijanophobia in this country, and complete contradiction with the noble goals and principles of sport, which promotes peace and mutual understanding between nations. The politicization of sports is absolutely unacceptable.
Due to psychological pressures in Armenia where such an atmosphere of hatred prevails and security is not ensured, normal participation of Azerbaijani athletes in competitions is impossible. Taking these into account, decision has been made to return Azerbaijani athletes to their homeland. Armenia should ensure their safe return.
We call on the international community and international sports institutions to strongly condemn this barbaric act. We also call 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 safety of athletes.