Armenian sambo federation

Armenia

Address:	53, Nar-Dos, 375018, Yerevan, Armenia
Phone:	+374 10 558 680
Email:	info@sambo.am
Site:	http://www.sambo.am/

President	Michael Hayrapetyan
Secretary General	Arevik Karapetyan
Vice-president	Vovik Hodzhayan
1st Vice-president	Karen Matevosyan

There are many well-known athletes in sambo from Armenia in the international arena: the first world champion Garnik Oganesyan, the multiple world champions and the European Cup winners are Gagik Kazarian, Gurgen Toutkhalian, Hovik Manukyan, Arthur Grigoryan, Grigoryan Yervant, Vahan Hodzhoyana, Vardan Voskanyan, the multiple world and European champions Christine Nadzharyan, Gohar Gevorgian, Arevik Karapetyan, Zoe Khachatryan, Irina Baghdasaryan, Mairam Oganesyan, Alla Avakian, the champions and prize-winners of the Soviet Union are Sergey Arakelyan, Marcos Shirinyan, Aram Grigoryan, Hrachik Khachatrian, Vardan Karapetyan, and many others.

Modern Armenia sambo school was based on the national wrestling called Khoh in the 1950s. Georgi Tumanian is a great enthusiast who researched, organised and reconstructed the activities of the ancient rules, traditions and customs of national wrestling in the regions and cities of the Republic. He became a professor and an academician, obtained PhD in pedagogics. He now is the honorary coach of the Armenian SSR and honoured worker of physical culture and sports of Russia. In 1960s and 1970s a significant contribution to sambo development in Armenia was done by the honorary coaches Viktor Alikhyan, Robert Oganesian, and also Yury Zaitsev (invited coach from Russia).

The Armenian competitors reached the peak in the 70-80s, with the emergence of a number of high-class technical masters of sambo, both in men’s and women’s sambo. The chief coach of Armenian team was Levon Hayrapetyan, honorary master of sports of USSR, honored coach of the USSR, international referee of extra class, honoured worker of physical culture and sports of Armenia. During that period there were the first winners and prize-winners of the USSR championships among youth and juniors, the USSR sports and athletics meetings, the USSR Cup and also the first World sambo championship. There are many coaches contributed to the development of this type of sport in Armenia and who trained many World and European champions and Cup winners in the 80-90s. They are all honoured coaches of the USSR and the Armenian SSR: Gurgen Sevoyan, Khanik Agoyan, Bashik Saroyan, Gurgen Gevorkyan, Nikoly Karlsian, Samvel Avdalian, Ernest Mirzoyan, Vovik Khodjayan, Eduard Aslanyan, Arshaluys Balyan, Aiyk Aveticyan, Vigen Oganecyan, Zaven Evoyan and others.

Nowadays the national team of Armenia is represented by the World and European champions, honoured masters of sports Ashot Danielyan and Vachik Vardanyan, the winners of World and European championships Tyrant Kirakosyan, Grigor Mkhitaryan, Gore Malyan, Mkhitar Mkhitaryan, Hagop Arakelian, Vahan Vardanyan, Mauritius Nasibyan, Ruzanna Sarkisyan, Rose Khachatryan, Mher Karapetyan, Sose Balasanyan, Maxim Manoukian, Rafik Manukyan, and many other athletes followed their example.

A great contribution to sambo development has been done by the honorary president of the Armenian sambo federation Zoriy Balayan, honorary master of sports, writer and publicist, Artsakh’s national hero.