Armenian wrestlers will not compete at the U17 Wrestling World Championships, which will be held in Baku from July 27 to August 2.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the information was confirmed by Sarkhan Musally, Head of the Press Service of the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation.
According to Musally, registration for the tournament was open to all eligible participants, and every national federation was offered equal conditions.
"Registration for the tournament was open to everyone, and all potential participants were provided with equal conditions. The Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation offered the highest level of security guarantees. However, the Armenian team did not complete the registration process, which closed yesterday. This means they will not participate in the World Championships," Musally said.
He also commented on the decision of U.S. wrestler of Armenian origin Galust Gregory Torosyan to refuse to compete in Baku.
"There are absolutely no grounds for such a decision. It appears that he did it for self-promotion, using security concerns as a pretext. The Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation has always provided all necessary security guarantees. To date, no provocations or negative incidents have occurred at any tournament in Baku involving Armenian athletes. Therefore, we see this as a cheap populist show. But it is his personal decision," Musally added.
At the same time, Musally noted that athletes of Armenian origin representing other national teams, including Russia, are expected to compete at the championships in Baku.
Delegations from various countries are scheduled to begin arriving in Azerbaijan's capital on July 20, while the majority of participants are expected to arrive on July 25 ahead of the start of the tournament.
