User:TheShadowCrow/sandbox/Armenian sports

A wide array of sports are played in Armenia. Football is the most popular sport in Armenia. Other popular sports are wrestling, weightlifting, judo, chess, and boxing. Armenia's mountainous terrain provides great opportunities for the practice of sports like skiing and rock climbing. Being a landlocked country, water sports can only be practiced on lakes, notably Lake Sevan. Competitively, Armenia has been very successful at chess, weightlifting, and wrestling at the international level. Armenia is also an active member of the international sports community, with full membership in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Federation of International Bandy (FIB), and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The country also hosts the Pan-Armenian Games.

Ancient history
In 281 AD, Armenian King Tiridates III (286–342 AD), who adopted Christianity as the state religion in 301 AD, making Armenia the first Christian nation, became an Olympic Champion in wrestling at the 265th Olympiad of the Ancient Olympic Games. Petroglyphs have been found in the Armenian Highland depicting a fight between two men, similar to boxing. King of Armenia Varazdat (Varasdates) is often regarded as one of the last competitors in the Ancient Olympic Games. He won an Olympiad in fisticuffs during 360's AD, an event recorded in Moses of Chorene's History of Armenia. King Varazdat's victory is commemorated with a memorial plate in Olympia, Greece, at the Olympic Museum.

Modern history, Pre-Independence
The first Armenians to participate in modern Olympics were Migir Migiryan and Vahram Papazyan from the Ottoman Empire. Both competed in athletics at the 1912 Stockholm Games.

Up until 1946, athletes of Armenia, as well as the whole Soviet Union, could not participate in international competitions due to political reasons and could only take part in the USSR Championships. Notable Armenian athletes from ths time are Sergo Hambardzumyan, a three-time USSR Champion (1933-1935) and world record holder in weightlifting and Sargis Vardanyan, two-time USSR Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling (1940, 1944).

History as part of the USSR


Prior to 1992, Armenians would participate in the Olympics and other international competitions representing the USSR. As part of the Soviet Union, Armenia was very successful, winning plenty of medals and helping the USSR win the medal standings at the Olympics on numerous occasions. The first medal won by an Armenian in modern Olympic history was by Hrant Shahinyan (sometimes spelled as Grant Shaginyan), who won two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. To highlight the level of success of Armenians in the Olympics, Shahinyan was quoted as saying:

{{cquote|''Armenian sportsmen had to outdo their opponents by several notches for the shot at being accepted into any Soviet team. But those difficulties notwithstanding, 90 percent of Armenian athletes on Soviet Olympic teams came back with medals''.

Armenia contributed several more notable gymnasts to the powerful Soviet gymnastics team, including world and Olympic champions Albert Azaryan, Eduard Azaryan and Artur Akopyan. The Armenian SSR also produced many elite athletes in weightlifting (Yurik Vardanyan, Yurik Sarkisian, Oksen Mirzoyan, Vardan Militosyan, Israel Militosyan), boxing (Vladimir Yengibaryan, David Torosyan, Nshan Munchyan, Mekhak Ghazaryan), freestyle wrestling (Sanasar Oganisyan, Stepan Sarkisyan, Norayr Musheghian), Greco-Roman wrestling (Benur Pashayan, Levon Julfalakyan, Mnatsakan Iskandaryan), sambo (Garnik Hovhannisyan, Gourgen Toutkhalian, Gagik Ghazaryan), athletics (Robert Emmiyan), shooting (Hrachya Petikyan, Zinaida Simonyan), fencing (Valentin Chernikov, Ashot Karagyan), table tennis (Elmira Antonian, Narine Antonian, Anita Zakarian), diving (David Ambartsumyan, Sirvard Emirzyan) and scuba diving (Shavarsh Karapetyan). Armenian representatives were included in many USSR national sport teams, such as in football (Khoren Hovhannisyan, Arkady Andreasyan, Eduard Markarov, Hovhannes Zanazanyan), basketball (Armenak Alachachian, Vitali Zastuhov), volleyball (Nina Muradyan) and field hockey (Sos Hayrapetyan). Armenian chess players have been in leading positions not only in the USSR, but also in the whole world. Tigran Petrosyan held the World Chess Championship title from 1963 to 1969. Rafael Vahanyan, as a member of the USSR national chess team, has won Chess Olympiads, World Team Chess Championships and European Team Chess Championship.

Sport after Independence
Armenia first participated at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, under a unified CIS team, where it was very successful. Despite only having five athletes, Armenians won 4 medals. Hrachya Petikyan won gold in sharp shooting, Israel Militosyan won gold in weightlifting, and, in wrestling, Mnatsakan Iskandaryan won gold and Alfred Ter-Mkrtychyan won silver. Since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Armenia has participated as an independent nation.

Armenia participates in the Summer Olympic Games in boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, gymnastics, track and field, diving, swimming, and sharp shooting. The country also participates in the Winter Olympic Games in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, and figure skating.

Football
Association football is the most popular sport in Armenia. The Football Federation of Armenia is the national governing body of the sport in Armenia and was founded on 18 January 1992. The FFA established relations with FIFA in 1992 and with UEFA in 1993. Armenia used to play as part of the Soviet Union national football team at the international level when it was the Armenian SSR. The most prominent club was Ararat Yerevan, which played in Hrazdan Stadium. Nikita Simonyan managed the team in the 1973–74 season. Ararat Yerevan won the 1973 Soviet Top League, becoming the only Armenian club to ever win the Soviet Top League, and also won the Soviet Cup in 1973 and 1975. These achievements are considered among the greatest milestones in the history of Armenian football to this day. In the 1974–75 European Cup, Ararat Yerevan advanced to the quarterfinals, where the team played two games against Bayern Munich, losing the first 0-2. At the second match, in Hrazdan Stadium, Yerevan, Arkady Andreasyan scored the only goal of the match at the 35th minute and Ararat Yerevan won 1-0. Bayern moved on due to aggregate and went on to win the European Cup. Khoren Hovhannisyan became the first Armenian to participate in the FIFA World Cup and was choosen to recieve the UEFA Jubilee Awards for Armenia as the most outstanding player of the past 50 years (1954–2003).

The Armenia national football team was founded in 1992 and played their first official match against Moldova on 14 October 1992. The national team has participated in the qualification of every major tournament from the UEFA Euro 1996 onwards, though they are yet to qualify for the finals in either a UEFA European Football Championship or a FIFA World Cup. Armenia came it's closest to in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches of Group B, when the team came in third place, just one spot below qualifying. Armenia scored a total of 22 goals, more than any other team in Group B. A mistake by a referee in the national team's last, decisive match prevented Armenia from placing in second. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the current Vice-Captain of the Armenian national football team and the team's star player. He has also been given the Armenian Footballer of the Year award three times and is the second top goalscorer of all time for the Armenian national team with 10 goals.

The Armenian Premier League is the top football competition in Armenia. The league currently consists of eight teams, and relegates to the Armenian First League. Over the years, the league has evolved from a small competition, consisting of only eight teams, to two separate divisions. Pyunik Yerevan has won the Armenian Premier League more than any other club, a total of 10 times. Armenia also has many football venues, such as Hrazdan Stadium, Republican Stadium and Mika Stadium.

Youri Djorkaeff and Alain Boghossian are both France national team players of Armenian descent and citizenship who were part of the 1998 FIFA World Cup winning team.

Chess


Chess remains the most popular mind sport in Armenia. It is widely played in Armenia, and in the Armenian diaspora, where the Armenian schools encourage it as a curricular activity. Armenian chess players have been very successful on the international chess scene. Notable chess players of Armenia include Tigran Petrosian, Levon Aronian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian, Sergei Movsesian and Rafael Vaganian. The legendary chess player Garry Kasparov is of Armenian descent.

Armenia has hosted two major tournaments in the capital city Yerevan. The 32nd Chess Olympiad was held in Sports & Music Complex in 1996 and the World Team Chess Championship in the Yerevan Opera Theater in 2001.

Armenia has won the European Team Chess Championship in both the men (1999) and women (2003) sections. The 1999 men team was made up of Smbat Lputian, Artashes Minasian, Ashot Anastasian, Levon Aronian and Arshak Petrosian. The 2003 women team was made up of Elina Danielian, Lilit Mkrtchian and Nelly Aginian.

Levon Aronian won the Chess World Cup in 2005.

In 2006, the Armenian Chess Team of Levon Aronian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian, Karen Asrian, Artashes Minasian, and Smbat Lputian won the Chess Olympiad in Turin. Two years later, Armenia successfully defended their Olympiad title with a second consecutive win in Dresden, the team being made up of Levon Aronian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian, Tigran L. Petrosian and Artashes Minasian.

Armenia won the World Team Chess Championship in 2011, against the top ten teams of the world, including Russia and China. Members of the Armenian chess team were Levon Aronian, Sergei Movsesian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian and Robert Hovhannisyan.

The Armenian Chess Team won the Olympiad title for a third time in 2012 at the Istanbul-hosted Chess Olympiad. The team consisted of Levon Aronian, Sergei Movsesian, Vladimir Akopian, Gabriel Sargissian and Tigran L. Petrosian.

Armenia currently ranks 5th on the all-time Chess Olympiad medal table despite only competing since 1992. The nation was also a contributing power to the still #1 ranked Soviet Union. Tigran Petrosian himself is still ranked #1 for the best individual results in the open section.

Wrestling
Wrestling has been the most popular sport in the Olympics for Armenia. The Wrestling Federation of Armenia is the national governing body of the sport in the country since 1996, when the Federation of Freestyle Wrestling of Armenia and the Federation of Greco-Roman Wrestling Federation, each founded in 1992, were merged together. Half of the twelve Armenian Olympic medalists and were wrestlers. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Armen Nazaryan won the gold in the Men's Greco-Roman Flyweight (52 kg) category, and Armen Mkrtchyan won the silver in Men's Freestyle Paperweight (48 kg) category, securing Armenia's first two medals in its modern Olympic history.

Armenia's only gold medalist, Nazaryan, only two silver medalists, Mkrtchyan and Arsen Julfalakyan, and half of entire Olympic medalists, are wrestlers, making wrestling Armenia's most successful Olympic sport. Arayik Gevorgyan has won three of Armenia's six gold medals in the Wrestling World Championship.

Armenia hosted the 2010 FILA Wrestling World Cup. The Armenian wrestling team came in third place overall and Armenian wrestlers individually won three of the seven gold medals.

Traditional Armenian wrestling is called kokh, and practiced in traditional garb; it was one of the influences included in the Soviet combat sport of sambo, which is also very popular.

Weightlifting
Weightlifting has also been a successful sport for Armenia in the Olympics and is governed by the Weightlifting Federation of Armenia. Arsen Melikyan won the bronze medal in Men's middleweight (77 kg) category at the 2000 Summer Olympics, which was the independent Republic of Armenia's first Olympic medal in weightlifting. In April 2007, the Armenian national team won the 2007 European Championships in Strasbourg, with 10 gold medals. The youngest Olympic medalist from Armenia, Tigran Gevorg Martirosyan, won an Olympic medal in weightlifting at the 2008 Summer Olympics at the age of 20 years and 64 days. Nazik Avdalyan and Martirosyan both became World Weightlifting Champions in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Khachatur Kyapanaktsyan, who became a European Champion in weightlifting in 1993, is the first Armenian athlete to become a European Champion in any sport. Kyapanaktsyan, Sergo Chakhoyan and Israel Militosyan have all set world records in weightlifting for Armenia.

Before the establishment of an independent Armenia, Armenian weightlifters like Yurik Sarkisyan, Oksen Mirzoyan and Yurik Vardanyan competed for the Soviet Union and were very successful. Vardanyan won the gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics, becoming the world's first weightlifter to achieve 400 point totals in the 82.5 kg weight category. He earned the title Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1977, and was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1985. Yurik Vardanyan, Yurik Sarkisyan and Oksen Mirzoyan set multiple world records during their distinguished careers. Mirzoyan is the current Chairman of the Armenian Weightlifting Federation.

Boxing
Boxing is a popular sport in Armenia. The country has regularly sent competitors to the Olympics, but met with little success. The Boxing Federation of Armenia, governing body of the sport in Armenia, was founded in 1991 and was admitted to the European Amateur Boxing Association and International Boxing Association as a full member two years later. Armenia hosted the 2012 Youth World Amateur Boxing Championships in the capital city of Yerevan from November 25 to December 8.

Though Armenia has had little success in amateur boxing, the country has still produced an Olympic medalist, Hrachik Javakhyan, and a World Champion, Nshan Munchyan. Javakhyan is the only Olympic medalist from Armenia that isn't a wrestler or weightlifter and Munchyan is the first World Champion from independent Armenia in any sport.

Armenian boxers have had more success in professional boxing. Vic Darchinyan and Arthur Abraham have both won world titles in different weight divisions. Susi Kentikian has also won world titles in women's boxing. Khoren Gevor is a four-time world title challenger. Vanes Martirosyan and Karo Muratyan are both rising contenders.

Judo
Judo is also a popular sport in Armenia. Armenia has regularly sent competitors in judo to the Olympics, but has yet to win an Olympic medal in the sport. The country is a full member of the International Judo Federation.

Armen Nazaryan and Hovhannes Davtyan have both had successful judoka careers, medaling in several international tournaments. Gokor Chivichyan is one of the most famous practitioners of judo in the world.

Rugby union
Rugby union is a growing sport in Armenia. The Armenia national rugby union team has drawn much of its strength from the Armenian diaspora, and the fact that there are many Armenian rugby players in France. It has also drawn strength from the popularity of rugby in neighbouring Georgia.

Tennis
Tennis is a growing and popular sport in Armenia. The Armenia Davis Cup team reached the Group II quarterfinals at the 2001 Davis Cup, a record performance. Sargis Sargsian is the best tennis player from Armenia. He is a three-time Olympian who won the 1997 Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in singles and the 2003 Citi Open and 2003 BRD Năstase Țiriac Trophy in doubles. Certain members of the Armenian diaspora like Andre Agassi, David Nalbandian and the Maleeva sisters have excelled in the sport.

Ice hockey
Ice hockey is a newer, growing sport in Armenia. The Armenian national ice hockey team is run by the Ice Hockey Federation of Armenia. They hosted the Division III, Group B tournament of the 2010 World Championships. Grigory Mkrtychan played goalkeeper for the Soviet Union national ice hockey team and was part of the gold medal winning Soviet team at the 1954 World Ice Hockey Championships and 1956 Winter Olympics. He is a member of the Russian and Soviet Hockey Hall of Fame.

Basketball
Basketball is a newer sport in Armenia. The Armenia national basketball team is managed by head coach Carl Bardakian. Armenak Alachachian was a member of the Soviet Union national basketball team and won silver at the 1964 Summer Olympics while on the team.

Other sports
Armenia planned to participate in the World Bandy Championship for the first time in 2011.

Organizations
Homenetmen and AGBU are the two biggest organizations that are devoted to athletics among Armenians. They, notably Homenetmen, have opened chapters all across the globe, wherever an Armenian community is present. Homenetmen organizes the Pan-Homenetmen Games each year, when the organization's members gather in a host city to play friendly matches against each other in various sports such as football, basketball, athletics, ice hockey, and volleyball.

Modern Rebuilding Efforts
The government of Armenia budgets about $2.8 million annually for sports, and gives it to the National Committee of Physical Education and Sports, the body that determines which programs should benefit from the funds.

Due to the lack of success lately on the international level, in recent years, Armenia has rebuilt 16 Soviet-era sports schools and furnished them with new equipment for a total cost of $1.9 million. The rebuilding of the regional schools was financed by the Armenian government. About $9.3 million has been invested in the resort town of Tsaghkadzor to improve the winter sports infrastructure, because of dismal performances at recent winter sports events. In 2005, a cycling center was opened in Yerevan, with the aim of helping produce world class Armenian cyclists. The government has also promised a cash reward of $700,000 to Armenians who win a gold medal at the Olympics. Rector of the Yerevan State Institute of Physical Culture Vahram Arakelian believes that Armenia will produce Olympic champions in 2016, because by that time “the work of new coaches and their influence on their trainees will be seen.”