Overshadowed in Conflict: The 2023 European Weightlifting Championships

If you have been following sports news in Armenia over the past 4 months, it almost feels like the recent major sporting events in the country are bound to create a buzz, sometimes for all the wrong reasons. March 25th saw a historic (and equally controversial) football match between Armenia and Turkey which was held in the country’s capital and ended in favor of the visiting team. Almost all of us agree that politics should be left on the doormat when it comes to sports. However, when countries with turbulent relationships are involved, things become easier said than done.

A week or so before the football match, Karapet Manvelyan, an Armenian wrestler participating in the European Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship in Bucharest, defeated Azerbaijani wrestler Rahim Hasanov. After extending his hand toward the opponent as a gesture of sportsmanship, Manvelyan was attacked by Hasanov who tried to suckerpunch him before being justly disqualified as a result of his unprofessional behavior. Many similar incidents have occurred involving opponents from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey; not to be biased, but the hostile behavior is more than often initiated by participants from Azerbaijan and Turkey. The reasons are obvious. Tensions between these countries are at an all-time high following the 44-Day war and recent border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with Turkey being a firm supporter of the former.

A Heavy Weight

Earlier this year, the European Weightlifting Federation confirmed that the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships are scheduled to be held in Yerevan, beginning on the 15th of April. At any other time, this would have been a simple announcement, with an equally simple public reaction. However, it soon became apparent that Armenia would host 4 Azerbaijani weightlifters as part of the championships who will attend the event with a delegation of 12 people. The public reaction was, understandably, not very favorable.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been struggling with a border conflict after the 44-Day war (the roots of which go back to the first Nagorno-Karabakh conflict), with the Azeri side constantly violating the trilateral ceasefire brokered by Russia. Prior to the publication of this article, Azerbaijan launched yet another provocation in the Syunik region, particularly the border village called Tegh, leading to the death of 4 Armenian soldiers and leaving dozens wounded.

In the meantime, two Azerbaijani soldiers (thought by some to be insurgents) entered Armenia’s sovereign territory for unknown reasons and were later caught by Armenian authorities. The second soldier had gone live on his Instagram celebrating the death and beheading of Armenians. Upon arrest, a phone was discovered on him which belonged to a security guard at the Zangezur copper and molybdenum factory who was found dead the day before the arrest. It was later confirmed that he was in fact the murderer.

Peace Through Sports?

As all of these events are taking place, both sides are pushing toward some form of peace agreement, with the full details of said agreement not yet released publicly. After all, a normalization of the relationship between the two countries would be beneficial for both sides, preventing the loss of life and civilian infrastructure in the process. However, despite peace talks, the clashes continue and systematic anti-Arminianism is still widespread in Azerbaijan. There are those who criticize the Armenian authorities for allowing Azerbaijani athletes into Armenia for the upcoming weightlifting championships, basing their criticism on the current marred border conditions and increased hostilities.

Others wonder if sports could become a silver lining toward the normalization of relations between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. During a press conference, Arayik Hartyunyan, president of the organizational committee behind the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships mentioned that Armenia’s “neighbors” often try to diminish Armenia’s progression, stating that “similar things happened during the European Boxing Championships.” He went on to say that Armenia has guaranteed safe passage and accommodation to the Azerbaijani athletes.

The public still seems to be divided on the issue, and how the events will transpire remains to be seen. In the meantime, the border clashes seem to have decreased significantly, and will hopefully not flare up during the games or as a result of the two Azerbaijani soldiers being detained by Armenian authorities. As for sports being a silver lining, the notion seems a promising one, despite the need for exercising caution along the way.