 actor vandalism in Armenia. Azerbaijani flag was burned at the opening of the European championship. During the opening ceremony of the European weightlifting championship in Yerevan, one of the fans set fire to the flag of Azerbaijan. It was determined Aram Nikolian, an employee of the Armenian public television, a well-known designer in this country and a person involved in the organization, was the first person who burned the flag. After this, Aram Nikolian was taken to the police station. Despite the fact that disrespecting the state symbols of a foreign country is considered a crime in Armenian legislation, police released the person who committed a crime in front of the international community on the same day. The most painful thing is that the burning of the Azerbaijani flag on the stage was accompanied by the applause of the audience and that person who was released by the police was greeted as a hero by many people, including members of the parliament of this country. The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan issued a joint statement. The statement reads, Azerbaijani flag was demonstratively burned by an officially accredited person at the opening ceremony of the European weightlifting championship in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, on April the 14th, 2023. The commission of such a barbaric act at a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Armenia and its approval by the Armenian public and the description of the person who committed the act as a hero is a clear example of ethnic hatred, racism, xenophobia and Azerbaijanophobia in this country, as well as it is in 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. 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, added in a statement.