The Azerbaijan National Olympic Committee (NOC) has expressed serious concern over the use of music titled “Artsakh,” which it says carries political and separatist connotations, by Armenian figure skaters Nikita Rakhmanin and Karina Akopova during their competition program at the 25th Winter Olympic Games.

Axar.az informs the Azerbaijan NOC has submitted an official protest to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over the incident.

According to the statement, IOC officials were informed that the term “Artsakh” is closely associated with Armenia’s long-standing illegal and separatist policies regarding territories internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The committee stressed that selecting such music at an event that must remain free of politics, like the Olympic Games, gives the performance a clear political and ideological meaning and contradicts Olympic values.

The statement emphasized that the Olympic Charter strictly prohibits political, ideological, or separatist propaganda at the Games. One of the IOC’s core missions, it noted, is to keep sport separate from politics and prevent athletes and competitions from being used for political purposes.

The Azerbaijan NOC added that such actions undermine the spirit of the Olympic Games, violate sporting ethics and international sports principles, breach the neutrality of the Olympic Movement, and harm peace and mutual trust in the region.

The committee reiterated that the Olympic Games symbolize peace, friendship, and mutual respect among peoples, and that using this platform for political or separatist propaganda is unacceptable.