INTERNATIONAL SHOOTING FEDERATION ENCOURGES ARMENIA TO PARTICIPATE IN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN AZERBAIJAN

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) has invited Armenia to join the 2023 World Shooting Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, saying the door is always open.”Sport is our priority, and we don’t get involved in anything political,” ISSF President Willie Grill said at a press conference in Baku on Saturday. We are here to confirm that there are problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in a territorial dispute for decades.In 2020, they fought for three weeks in the border region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and have been engaged in ongoing military conflict ever since.Armenia has boycotted the World Championships, citing security concerns and political ties to Azerbaijan.”You can’t guarantee everything in this world,” Grill said. We have done everything we can to ensure safety,” he said, adding that Armenia did not choose to withdraw due to the ISSF’s inadequate security measures.The ISSF plans to allow Armenia to compete if the team expresses a desire to do so, even though the deadline has passed.”We still have a place for the Armenian team,” said Grill. Shooters from all over the world are here, so it would be great if they could join us.”The event, which features more than 1,200 athletes from 101 countries, kicks off on Sunday and runs through the first of next month.Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete as neutrals, but they must prove that they have not been involved in military operations in 스포츠토토링크 Ukraine.