Armenia will not compete at the U17 Wrestling World Championships in Baku later this month, once again opting out of a major international sporting event hosted by Azerbaijan.
The Armenian Wrestling Federation has not publicly explained the decision. The championships are scheduled to take place in Azerbaijan’s capital from July 27 to August 2.
Armenia’s absence comes as Pashinyan’s government continues to publicly advocate for a peace agreement and the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan. At the same time, more than two dozen Armenian hostages remain illegally held in Azerbaijan, while the two countries have yet to sign a comprehensive peace agreement.
Despite Armenia’s absence, two ethnic Armenian wrestlers are expected to compete under the flags of other countries.
Sergey Karmryan will represent Russia in the men’s freestyle 60 kg category, while Ruslana Karapetyants will compete for Moldova in the women’s 53 kg division.
Earlier, Galust Torosyan, who represents the United States, also announced that he would not compete at the championships in Baku.
