Sports: Azerbaijan refuses to participate in Yerevan-hosted Kyokushin Karate European Championships

Emil Lazarian 2018
News.am, Armenia
April 6 2018

By Lusine Shahbazyan

Yerevan will host the Kyokushin Karate European Championships at Mika Sports Complex from 7 to 8 April.

The president of Kyokushin Karate Armenian Federation Andranik Hakobyan took part in the joint press conference with the representatives of the international federation.

“The European Championship will be organized in diverse age groups. We have managed to organize a tournament in Armenia with the assistance of the Ministry of Sport, the Armenian National Olympic Committee and the Yerevan Municipality.

About 700 athletes from 28 countries will attend the championship. Azerbaijan refused to participate in the European Championships and urged Turkey to do the same. However, one of Turkish teams expressed willingness to join the tournament and will arrive in Armenia on April 6,” Andranik Hakobyan noted.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS