Armenian-born French wrestler Gagik Sunjoyan told AFP that he would give up on his Olympic dreams due to safety concerns if he were to qualify for the Paris 2024 Games in his home country's arch-rival Azerbaijan.
The French number one was scheduled to compete in the Greco-Roman 67kg category in the European qualifiers to be held in Baku from April 5th to 7th, but was forced to abandon the trip by his family who feared for his safety.
“Armenians who enter Azerbaijani territory run the risk of not being able to return. I am not the one who said that, life has shown me that,” the 22-year-old told AFP.
“Honestly, that's understandable. If you look at the recent tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, it's really complicated. Armenians are not going to Azerbaijan and vice versa.”
Neighboring countries in the Caucasus region have been at war with each other since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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After Baku recaptured the Nagorno-Karabakh region in a blitzkrieg in September last year, all Armenians in the enclave (more than 100,000 people) fled to Armenia.
Despite being offered increased security by the French Wrestling Federation, Sunjoyan said he had to make the “hardest” decision of his career.
“I've never been faced with a situation like this before. In my head, something like that won't happen to me, it will happen to other people. And when it happens to us, Frankly speaking, it's not easy to deal with.
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“On one side is my family, and on the other side are our dreams and decades of sweat. I have decided to put my family first.”
Born in Yerevan in 2001, Sunjoyan took his first wrestling steps in his home country before his family sought asylum in France 10 years ago.
“In Armenia, each town had three or four wrestling stadiums, like soccer fields in France,” he recalled.
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“It's the sport that my father played, the sport that all my family, uncles and cousins played. I was into it, it was my destiny, for sure.”
Sunjoyan said the “biggest problem” was understanding why sports governing bodies did not choose to host the games in a “peaceful country”.
Sunjoyan forfeited the Baku qualifying round and gave up his spot to 30-year-old French runner-up Mamadassa Sylla, who earned her Olympic ticket by reaching Friday's final.
“I didn't even have the right to show my abilities,” Sunjoyan said. He also missed the 2023 World Championships due to his shoulder injury.
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