Wrestlers Artur Aleksanyan and Malkhas Amoyan, the medal winners of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games in Paris, and runner Yervand Mkrtchyan were hosted by the “Olympic House of Armenia,” which operates in the capital of France. They met with representatives and fans of the Armenian community.
The event was also attended by RA Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Karen Giloyan, RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France Hasmik Tolmajyan, Secretary General of the International Weightlifting Federation Antonio Urso, World Boxing Champion Arthur Abraham, President of the Athletics Federation of Armenia Robert Emmiyan, the president of the wrestling federation, Robert Khachatryan, coaches, fans.
Welcoming the attendees, the deputy minister of KGSMS Karen Giloyan informed that the “Olympic House of Armenia” became a reality with the support of “Fastex,” “Unibank,” and “Yucom” companies. Referring to the competitions of our athletes, Karen Giloyan specifically said:
“It’s amazing when you get so upset about silver. Either way, that’s the reality. Artur Aleksanyan is the third athlete in the history of Greco-Roman wrestling to win four medals at the Olympic Games. Arthur has been competing at the highest level for over 13 years and has won yearly medals. Malkhas Amoyan is the world champion in the 72 kg weight category; he has just changed his weight and moved to the 77 kg weight category. Despite that, he was still ready to become a champion. I believe that Malkhas will still have his say. Yervand Mkrtchyan set an Armenian record, which is an excellent result,” said Karen Giloyan and congratulated our athletes on their successful performances and the medals they won.
RA Ambassador to France Hasmik Tolmajyan welcomed the athletes and thanked them for the many moments of pride. “Thank you for the unique moments that we have lived thanks to you. We are really proud of you because you gave Armenia the much-awaited medals of the Olympic Games. Armenia was in the wrestling gym yesterday. Everyone supported you in unison and chanted the name of our country. You have proven time and time again that you can do more, and I am sure there is more to come.”
Gold, silver, and bronze medalist of the Olympic Games, four-time world and seven-time European champion, 97 kg weight Artur Aleksanyan, who became the runner-up of the Olympic Games for the second time in his career, thanked for the initiative of “Olympic House of Armenia” and the opportunity for such a meeting.
“We felt the support of all our compatriots in the gym during all the wrestling matches. Thank you very much. You give us strength. In France, I became the world champion in 2017, and both then and now, I felt the warmth and support of our compatriots. I thought I was wrestling in Yerevan during the World Championship because many Armenians were in the gym. I had the same feeling yesterday, and I am grateful for that support,” said Artur Aleksanyan.
Greco-Roman wrestler Malkhas Amoyan, who won a bronze medal in his first Olympic Games, says that he will do everything to change the color of the medal in the next games. “Undoubtedly, the dream of all athletes is to become an Olympic champion. I also came to Paris after a gold medal, but I settled for bronze this time. I am glad that I was able to win a medal for Armenia. The atmosphere of the Olympic Games was great. As if it were a holiday, we got a lot of energy. In the Olympic Village, we witnessed different emotions, both winners and losers. Sports life is short, and these moments will remain in our memory.”
Malkhas Amoyan also thanked me for the warm reception and support. “I am happy that I can uphold the honor of the Armenian and Yezidi nations and bring joy to my people. I will try to present myself even better in the future.”
During the meeting, the fans also asked the athletes different questions and thanked them for their efforts. Then, the Armenian Olympic team members took photos and distributed autographs to the fans.
The “Olympic House of Armenia” operates in the Armenian General Benevolent Union building at 118 Rue, Courcelles 75017, Paris. Visitors can enjoy joint viewing of Olympic tournaments and meet famous athletes.
