The Azerbaijan Sports Journalists Association held a protest event with the participation of the sports media regarding the provocation against Azerbaijan at the opening ceremony of the European weightlifting championship held in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
Report informs that the burning of the Azerbaijani flag at the opening ceremony was strongly condemned.
Azer Ismayilov, the chairman of the Association, said that this incident is an indication that Armenia is not ready to organize such prestigious events:
"We regret this incident. Sport is peace, unity, friendship. Unfortunately, the sports event in this country was marked by negative event. We strongly condemn what happened. We call on the entire sports community to unite and make our voices heard in the international sphere. The fact that this incident took place in front of the prime minister of Armenia and the immediate release of the person once again shows how racist the Armenian public is and how great their hatred for Azerbaijanis is. This kind of incident did not happen in any of the competitions organized by Azerbaijan. We call on international institutions and press organizations to be active. This event once again shows that Armenia is not ready to hold such events. It gives a reason for not holding such events there."
Sanan Shafizadeh, a member of the Board of Directors of the Association, called the incident a shame:
"It was a provocation. There are no such 'security measures' where there are government officials. How is it possible that a person with accreditation was able to go there with a lighter?! Armenian athletes have participated many times in competitions held in Azerbaijan. They never had any problems, they even went on a trip to Baku. Sport is the harbinger of peace. Such provocation is shameful. With this action, they show that they do not fulfill their obligations. They gave a state guarantee for security. But they did not manage to protect at the opening ceremony. It is a very correct decision that our athletes are already returning to their homeland."
Later, chief editors and employees of various websites spoke.
Association management called on journalists to be active on the issue on social networks.
In the end, the Statement was accepted on behalf of Azerbaijan Sports Journalists.