Yazdani

Going through the 1st day champions...

55kg Bayramov(AZE) defeats Amoyan(ARM)

66kg Vardanyan(UKR) defeats Paniat(ROU)
(Silver medalist Guenot of FRA goes down 1st round to GER)

84kg Avluca(TUR) defeats Khasala(GEO)

120kg Patrikeev(ARM) defeats Baroev(RUS)

architeuthis

I was watching this guy's matches. He was entertaining. I don't usually like watching the light weights, but I've grown to appreciate them in Greco.

I highly reccomend watching them.

akzent

The matches Bayramov vs. Amoyan have always been exciting and… very heated (just as many other matches AZE vs. ARM). It is a pity that the matches reflect the hostile relationships and wars between these nations. Any Azerbaijani wrestler who has lost to an Armenian opponent (respectively any Armenian who has lost to an Azerbaijani) feels himself as if he has lost a real war. Coaches, sport functionaries, the media, and even the fans make him feel a sense of guilt for not having fulfilled his “patriotic duties”.

In this week’s finals, Amoyan lost his third match vs. Bayramov in a row. I cannot even imagine the reactions of the coaches, the journalists, the fans… because to be a loser in the finals is worse than being defeated in the elimination rounds as this happened at the 2007 worlds in Baku. Bayrmov beat Amoyan in the first round and the Azerbaijani media made him to a national hero for defeating an "enemy" in the capital of Azerbaijan. Amoyan, of course, got attacked by his own people. In some posts on Armenian forums, the fans even explained Amoyan’s unpatriotic appearance with the fact that he wasn’t and would never be a real Armenian because of his religion. (Amoyan is Yazidi - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazidi).

architeuthis

I really appreciate that insight into this. I have recently been thinking about the relationships between the old Soviet block countries and what the rivalries and friendships might be like.

if you have any more interesting information like that, I'd love to hear it.

akzent

http://sport.apa.az/en/news.php?id=28427

Speech of the president of the AZE federation after the 2008 euros

editorial title: Fazil Mammadov: “Depriving Armenians of three medals is a great achievement”

text: [He] especially stressed victories of our wrestlers Rovshan Bayramov, Emin Azizov and Novruz Temrezov over the Armenians. “You know, it is not easy to explain to others what happened between us and Armenians. International Association of Wrestling Federations, other nations, even OSCE don’t understand essence of this issue. It is sensible issue for Azerbaijan. It is a great achievement to deprive Armenians of three medals”.

***

http://sport.apa.az/en/news.php?id=28405

Rovshan Bayramov's interview about beating Amoyan in the finals

editoria title: Rovshan Bayramov: “I did not even think of being defeated by Armenian wrestler”

text: “This is not only my victory, but the victory of Azerbaijani People. I am very happy I could defeat Armenian sportsman and made our people glad. [...] I have become European Champion, won license to Beijing Olympic Games and defeated Armenian in the final”. 21-year-old Azeri wrestler, who defeated Armenia’s representative Roman Amoyan in the final of the European Championship, said that he had not even thought of being defeated by the sportsman of the enemy country. “I thought how I could continue my career ['culture of shame'], if I was defeated by the Armenian”, he said.