Watch… a “non-sports” punch and salute between two rivals in front of the crowd!

We always say that sportsmanship should always prevail during competitions and tournaments, and that sport should always distance itself from political escalation.

However, what is currently happening between Armenia and Azerbaijan seems to have affected the athletes of the two countries, or at least an Armenian athlete during a karate tournament hosted by Georgia.

The Armenian athlete showed a completely unsportsmanlike spirit and shocking behavior on the field of the match, after announcing the victory of her opponent in the game, Azerbaijani Alika Semikova, who extended her hand to the losing athlete to shake her hand.

It is known that real athletes never engage in such aggressive and “unsportsmanlike” behaviour, as the philosophy of accepting defeat and congratulating the winner should always have the upper hand in any sporting competition, no matter what happens in the competitors’ home countries.

It is reported that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan took place last week in Washington regarding the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

“There remains hard work to be done in order to reach a final agreement,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, during the closing session of the talks that began last Tuesday in the US capital.

This was the second round of talks between the two countries sponsored by the United States after a first round in early May.