The Azerbaijani government decided to withdraw its athletes after seeing their national flag set on fire by an alleged Armenian during the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championships in Armenia.
The Azerbaijani government said on the 16th카지노사이트, “The safety of the athletes cannot be guaranteed at this time, and the athletes are under psychological pressure.”
The Azerbaijani flag was burned at the opening ceremony on the 15th. The flag bearer and assistant entered the field together holding the Azerbaijani flag, and the rider passed the flag to the helper and exited. At that moment, a man nearby set fire to the national flag held by the helper and took it away. The Azerbaijan government and the Azerbaijan Sports Association said, “It is a beastly act that revealed racism and hatred,” and “It is absolutely unacceptable to politicize sports. The European Weightlifting Federation must punish Armenia.”
The majority of Armenians are Christian, but oil-rich Azerbaijan is majority Muslim. The two countries fought two wars after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1980s and are currently in a state of truce.