A fashion designer who worked on the spectacular 90-minute show snatched the flag from a young woman during the parade of nations here in Armenia's capital and set it alight in a pre-planned move that he defended on social media.

Aram Nikolyan, who works for a television company, was caught, and detained by police but later released without charge.

"My only desire was to ensure that the flag of Azerbaijan does not fly in Yerevan, the capital of the Republic of Armenia,” said Nikolyan, who designed the costumes worn by flag-bearers at the Ceremony.

"If there are people who believe that I should not have done that, let them hang the Azerbaijani flag in their homes."

Armenia and Azerbaijan are neighbours without diplomatic relations, having fought two wars over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan’s team of four athletes plus support staff and Federation officials was instructed by its Government to return home this morning, a few hours before the competition began on the same stage where the flag incident happened.

The European Weightlifting Federation (EWF) condemned Nikolyan’s actions which, it said, amounted to "an attack on the integrity of sport values".

The decision robbed Azerbaijani athletes of a chance to post totals in Olympic qualifying, as all Continental Championships this year and next year are qualifiers for Paris 2024.

They may instead be allowed to compete at the African Championships in Tunis next month, where their performances would be valid for the Paris 2024 rankings.

A joint statement by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and its National Olympic Committee said, "The commission of such a barbaric act at the Ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Armenia and its approval by the Armenian public, and touting the person who committed that act as a hero, is a clear example of ethnic hatred, racism, xenophobia, and Azerbaijanophobia in this country, and complete contradiction with the noble goals and principles of sport, which promotes peace and mutual understanding between nations.

"Due to psychological pressures in Armenia where such an atmosphere of hatred prevails and security is not ensured, normal participation of Azerbaijani athletes in competitions is impossible.

"Taking these into account, the decision has been made to return Azerbaijani athletes to their homeland.

“We call on the international community and international sports institutions to strongly condemn this barbaric act.

"We also call the European Weightlifting Federation to impose sanctions against Armenia.

"We believe that this incident shows that Armenia is unable to hold international sports competitions and ensure safety of athletes."

Armenia is one of five nations bidding to host the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships next year.

This is its first hosting of the Continental Championships, 40 years after its first attempt failed because of an earthquake that led to Moscow taking over as hosts as short notice.

Its Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports said Azerbaijan’s decision to fly home was a "matter of concern in terms of sports ethics" and did not include an apology in its statement.

There were "no problems concerning the safety of the weightlifters", the Ministry claimed.

"The incident, which was settled very quickly, has nothing to do with the safety of athletes and their normal performances," the Ministry said.

"All necessary conditions have been fully met.

"The Republic of Armenia stays true to its commitments to the International Weightlifting Federation and reaffirms its readiness to hold the 2023 European Championships at a high level."

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Opening Ceremony, "This is an extremely symbolic moment because this Championship is taking place under the umbrella, roof and flag of the sovereign, independent Republic of Armenia.

"The European Weightlifting Championship symbolises that our country is ready not only to face, but also to lift the weights placed before us by fate and history."

In a statement, the EWF said it "strongly condemns" the flag-burning incident, which was "an attack on the integrity of sport values and on the universal principles of fair play.

"The EWF immediately reacted to this incident, expressing its firm position towards the Organising Committee, and asking for additional guarantees for the safety of all participants in this competition.

"We regret the fact that the delegation of the Republic of Azerbaijan had to leave the competition, but at the same time we respect it.

"We were directly involved in ensuring all security conditions for the delegation until it left Armenia.

"The EWF remains in solidarity with the Azerbaijan team and the federation and remains available for any form of support that is requested in the spirit of sport and fair play."

The IWF later issued a statement supporting the EWF's stance.

It said: "The IWF firmly condemns and regrets the incident with the Azeri flag, at the Opening Ceremony of the European Championships in Yerevan, under the auspices of the EWF.

"The respect of national symbols is a basic value of sport and the the non-compliance with this principle is highly reprehensible.

"The occurence of this sort of incident will never be tolerated by the IWF, an organisation that considers sport a fundamental element of unity among nations.

"Therefore, the IWF totally supports the EWF's appropriate reaction to this incident and naturally expects that athletes and respective delegations are treated with respect, dignity and fair play at all weightlifting competitions around the world."

The European Championships run from today until April 23.