PAP Press Secretary: It was thanks to Gagik Tsarukyan that Armenian  sports were revived

ArmInfo. The Armenian sports world was revived thanks to the tenure of Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) leader Gagik Tsarukyan as President of the National Olympic Committee (NOC). This was written on Facebook by Prosperous Armenia Party Press Secretary Ivetta Tonoyan in response to statements by Arayik Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Armenia, that Tsarukyan, already 70 years old, is ineligible to serve as  President of the NOC.

"It would be nice if someone asked Arayik Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Armenia, the question:  So, you have the right to be President of the Weightlifting Federation, while Gagik Tsarukyan does not have the right to be President of the NOC? What is your relationship with  sports in general, what is your athletic experience, what knowledge  do you have in the field of weightlifting?" Tonoyan wrote in this  regard.

Then the party spokesperson recalled that Tsarukyan assumed the post  of President of the NOC of Armenia in 2004 at the age of 48, when  Armenian sports were in a disgraceful state, and many wondered  whether he needed it. "Sports schools and infrastructure were  dilapidated, international success was limited, and athletes were  ignored. Many sports schools lacked even basic training conditions,  athletes emigrated, and Armenian sports faced serious problems. But  Gagik Tsarukyan's position was clear: this was a matter of his honor  and the country's dignity, and no difficulties could intimidate him,"  Tonoyan noted.

She recalled that during Tsarukyan's two decades in office, dozens of  sports schools were built and renovated, supplied with sports  equipment, many emigrant athletes returned and began competing under  the Armenian flag, and a new culture of rewarding and rewarding  athletes was established. "The Armenian sports world has been  revived, and our compatriots around the world have had many reasons  to be proud of our athletes' victories. Our flag has been raised  thousands of times at the most prestigious international venues, and  our national anthem has been played there," the PAP press secretary  emphasized.

Moreover, as Tonoyan noted, the overwhelming majority of these  victories have always been won by Armenian weightlifters, as  weightlifting has become the most medal-winning Armenian sport after  years of hard work and massive investment by Gagik Tsarukyan. "Now a  question for Arayik Harutyunyan: how did you end up as president of  the Weightlifting Federation? What promises did you make to improve  Armenia's position in this sport that you never fulfilled? And,  finally, has the Armenian sports world accepted you as president of  the Federation? My questions are not rhetorical," the party's press  secretary concluded.

It should be noted that on April 15, Harutyunyan, who is also  president of the Weightlifting Federation, told reporters that  Tsarukyan would soon turn 70, and therefore no longer has the right  to hold the post.  According to him, Tsarukyan, amidst a tense  political period, is attempting to hold NOC elections in order to  re-assume the presidency and lead the organization for another four  to five years.

Furthermore, on April 13, a lawsuit was filed with the court on  behalf of the Weightlifting Federation, whose president is Arayik  Harutyunyan, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of the Republic of  Armenia, demanding that Tsarukyan be stripped of his position as  President of the National Olympic Committee. 

Specifically, the lawsuit demands that Gagik Tsarukyan's term as  President of the NOC be declared terminated as of September 9, 2025.  All decisions made by the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party  since that date, as well as the powers of all members of the NOC  Audit Commission, are also to be declared invalid.