Idman.biz
The pair Nikita Rakhmanin and Karina Akopova, who will represent Armenia in the figure skating competition at the XXV Winter Olympic Games, which officially opens today, have taken a separatist and provocative step by choosing the music "Artsakh" in the short program.
Idman.Biz reports that they stated that this program was specially prepared for Milan-2026 and that the selection was made on their own initiative.
For information, let us state that the expression "Artsakh" has been used by Armenia as a symbol of separatist policy against the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan.
The National Olympic Committee (NOC) informed our website that an official statement will be made regarding this issue soon.
It should be noted that recently, very important steps have been taken towards peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Within this framework, in 2026, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan were awarded the "Zayed Award for Human Fraternity". The award was presented at a ceremony held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and was given to them for their initiatives for peace and cooperation between the two countries.
Nevertheless, the choice of separatist and provocative music by athletes representing Armenia at the XXV Winter Olympic Games in the short program contradicts the Olympic principles and draws attention considering the requirement that there should be no political and ideological messages in official sports events.
