Armenian police briefly detained a person who ran onto the stage during the event late on Friday and snatched the Azerbaijani flag from a lady performing in the opening ceremony before setting it ablaze. No Azerbaijani athletes or delegation members were reportedly present in the hall at the time of the incident.
Over 300 athletes from 40 countries are competing in the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan.
No charges were brought immediately against the intruder, whom the Armenian police identified as Aram Nikolian, a professional designer. He was set free by police several hours after his detention.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and National Olympic Committee described the incident as a "barbaric act," saying it was a manifestation of “ethnic hatred, racism, xenophobia, and animosity toward Azerbaijanis" in Armenia.
Declaring that under such conditions the safety of Azerbaijani athletes is not ensured and their normal participation in the championships is impossible, the Azerbaijani authorities announced their decision that their athletes will return home.
"It is worrying that no security measures were taken by organizers against such hate action. Perpetrators should be accordingly punished,” Aykhan Hajizade, a spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, wrote on Twitter.
Armenia’s government countered by saying that all security measures were put in place by the organizers as required and there are no security risks for the Azerbaijani athletes. It stressed that the flag burning incident at the opening ceremony was settled quickly and had nothing to do with the general security of Azerbaijani athletes and ensuring of their normal participation in the competitions.