Azerbaijani athletes confined to their hotel in Yerevan

Azerbaijani athletes are confined to their hotel without access to media in Yerevan, Armenia, Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov said on Twitter, Report informs.

"During the opening ceremony of the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan Armenia, the barbaric act took place, and the Azerbaijan flag was set on fire. This is deeply unacceptable and shows that Armenia is not ready to host such events.

"As Yerevan cannot guarantee the safety of our athletes, the Azerbaijan delegation will not compete and is expected to return home. Armenia should ensure the safe return of our athletes, but now they are confined to their hotel without access to media.

"We call on the international community and international sports institutions to strongly condemn this barbaric act. We also call on 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 the safety of athletes," Gayibov tweeted.