Azerbaijan lodges complaint with IOC over music choice by Armenian figure skaters

Azerbaijan"s National Olympic Committee (NOC) has lodged a formal protest with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the use of music titled "Artsakh" by Armenian figure skaters Nikita Rakhmanin and Karina Akopova during competition at the 25th Winter Olympic Games.

The NOC told that it had drawn the attention of IOC officials to the political and separatist nature of the music used in the program.

According to the statement, the term "Artsakh" reflects the term "Artsakh" reflects the ideological essence of the illegal and separatist policy pursued by Armenia for many years against the internationally recognized territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In this regard, the selection of such a program at an international sporting event such as the Olympic Games, which must remain outside politics, clearly has a political and ideological meaning and contradicts Olympic values.

The NOC noted that, under the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter, any form of political, ideological, or separatist propaganda is prohibited at the Olympic Games. One of the missions of the International Olympic Committee, it added, is to keep sport free from politics and to prevent the exploitation of athletes and competitions for political purposes.

Such incidents, the statement said, undermine the spirit of the Olympic Games, sporting ethics, and the principles of international sport, violate the neutrality of the Olympic Movement, and damage the atmosphere of peace and mutual trust in the region.

In its protest, the National Olympic Committee reiterated that the Olympic Games are a symbol of peace, friendship, and mutual respect among peoples, and that the use of this platform for political or separatist propaganda is unacceptable.