Armenia at the Olympics
Armenia has been represented at the Summer since 1996. Athletes from the region of Armenia have competed previously at the Olympic Games under the former country of the Soviet Union from 1952 to 1988. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, they were part of the Unified Team in 1992.
Armenia first participated as an independent nation at the 1996 Olympics by sending 32 athletes to Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In their first stint, they took home Olympic gold and silver medals. Armen Nazaryan dominated the Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling Flyweight division and took home the gold while Armen Mkrtchyan took second place in Men's Freestyle Wrestling Paperweight division. Not bad for a first time outing.
The next Summer Games in Sydney, Australia, they again produced an Olympic medalist when Arsen Melikyan took the bronze in weightlifting for the Men's Middleweight division. They didn't do particularly well in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens but they came back with the vengeance taking home their highest Olympic medal count at that time in 2008. They won a total of six Olympic medals in Beijing, China. Boxer Hrachik Javakhyan (Lightweight), wrestlers Roman Amoyan (Men's Greco-Roman 55 kg) and Yury Patrikeyev (Men's Greco-Roman 120 kg) and weightlifters Tigran Gevorg Martirosyan (Men's 69 kg), Gevorg Davtyan (Men's 77 kg) and Tigran Vardan Martirosyan (Men's 85 kg) all took the bronze medal in their respective divisions.
Armenia first sent athletes under their own flag in 1994 for the Winter Olympics held in Lillehammer, Norway where they sent two athletes, Joe Almasian and Ken Topalian for the two-man bobsleigh. They are yet to take home any Olympic honors from the Winter Games.
Related Pages
- Armenia at the Winter Olympics
- Information about the Soviet Union at the Olympics.
- About sport in Armenia
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