Armenian skier Mikael Mikaelyan came into the spotlight with a scandal at the "Tour de Ski" competitions held in Italy.
Modern.az reports that he covered the “Azerbaijan” inscription on his uniform with adhesive tape during the competition. For this action, the athlete was fined by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).
It should be noted that the aforementioned inscription is related to title sponsorship. In May 2025, a five-year cooperation agreement was signed between FIS and the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan. According to the agreement, the name “Azerbaijan” is placed on athletes' uniforms in several stages of the World Cup.
The incident occurred in Toblach, Italy. According to the Swedish publication “Expressen”, Mikaelyan refused to give extensive comments on the incident and threatened to boycott the competitions if similar sanctions were repeated.
Interestingly, the athlete's results in those competitions were not successful. Thus, he finished far from the prize-winning places, taking 72nd, 87th, and 118th places, respectively.
It should also be noted that within the framework of the "Tour de Ski" competitions, Azerbaijan's advertisement was widely displayed not only on athletes' uniforms but also along the track.
Let us remind that in the spring of 2026, Azerbaijan will host a stage of the Mogul World Cup. The competitions will be held on March 14-15 in Shahdag.
