The Armenian Weightlifting Federation announced today, Sunday, that Tatul Arutyunyan, the Armenian champion of the game, was killed several times, in the fierce "Battle of Artsakh" in Karabagh.
The Federation - in a post on its Facebook account - offered its "warm condolences to the family and relatives of Tatul Arutyunyan ... Rest in peace, hero."
The post concluded by saying that "Arutyunyan was not only a great athlete, but also an excellent friend and companion."
Tension prevails in the Nagorno Karabakh region, and the battles in the disputed region raise fears of a large-scale war between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the South Caucasus, where Ankara and Moscow compete.
Russia and Iran offered mediation between Yerevan and Baku to settle the dispute over the region.
Under international law, the Nagorno Karabakh region is part of Azerbaijan, but the Armenians - who make up the vast majority of its population - reject Baku rule.
The region has been running its own affairs with the support of Armenia since it split from Azerbaijan during a conflict that broke out when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.