On Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s instructions, the Turkish athletes, who dedicated their victories to Azerbaijan after winning medals at the European Weightlifting Championship in Yerevan, have been invited to Azerbaijan.
The Turkish delegation, which included the European champions Nuray Gungor, Cansu Bektas, Yusuf Fehmi Genc, the silver medallist of the European Championship Gamze Altun and President of the Turkish Weightlifting Federation Talat Unlu, were welcomed at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport by representatives of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports as well as representatives of the Azerbaijan Weightlifting Federation, media representatives, fans and members of Turkish community.
On April 14, the National Flag of Azerbaijan was burned by an officially accredited person at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship in Armenian capital city of Yerevan. Due to this incident, Azerbaijani national weightlifting team refused to participate in the competition and decided to return to homeland.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan issued a joint statement on this provocation. At the same time, representatives of the sports media strongly condemned the provocation against Azerbaijan in Yerevan. Azerbaijan Sports Journalists Federation sent a statement to the International Weightlifting Federation and the International Sports Press Association regarding this incident.
