Armenian-born French wrestler Gagik Snjoyan told AFP he has abandoned his Olympic dream over safety fears if he competes in qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Games in Azerbaijan, arch-foe of his native country.
The French number one was due to compete in the Greco-Roman 67 kg category at the European qualifiers in Baku from April 5-7 but was dissuaded from travelling by his family who feared for his safety.
“Any Armenian who enters Azerbaijani territory risks not returning. It’s not me who says it, it’s life which has shown this,” the 22-year-old told AFP.
“Honestly, it’s understandable. If you’ve been following the tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan lately, it’s really complicated. No Armenian goes to Azerbaijan and vice versa.”
The neighbouring countries in the Caucasus region have been in conflict since the break-up of the Soviet Union.
After Baku reclaimed the Nagorno-Karabakh region in a lightning offensive in September last year, the enclave’s entire ethnic Armenian population — more than 100,000 people — fled for Armenia.
Despite being offered reinforced security by the French Wrestling Federation, Snjoyan said he had been forced to make “the most difficult” decision of his career. “I have never been faced with this kind of situation. In my head, things like that don’t happen to me, they happen to others. And when it happens to us, frankly it’s not easy to cope with.
“On one side we have the family, and on the other side, we have our dream, our sweat that has flowed for decades. I decided to think of my family first.”
Born in Yerevan in 2001, Snjoyan took his first steps in wrestling in his native country, before his family sought asylum in France a decade ago.
“In Armenia, there are three or four wrestling halls in each town, a bit like football pitches in France,” he recalled.
“It’s the sport that my father did, that all my family, my uncles and my cousins did. I was immersed in it, it was sure, it was my destiny.”
Snjoyan said “the biggest problem” was understanding why the sports’ governing body had not chosen to hold the event in “a country at peace”.
By renouncing the Baku qualifiers, Snjoyan forfeited his place to French number two Mamadassa Sylla, who at 30 earned his Olympic ticket by reaching the final on Friday.
“I didn’t even have the right to show what I was capable of,” said Snjoyan, who also missed the 2023 World Championships due to a shoulder injury.—APP
