Olympic Games 2004 Athens

[Sasun]

This is a good opporunity to learn a valuable lesson and realize how bad we are. Now is the time to take some serious action on part of the government and the athletes. The athletes probably realized they had no chances and didn't bother to shave.

I wonder if there are other countries who are going back home emptyhanded.

[-=VAHE=-]

Maybe it's because all the Athletes who are winning left the country for money. This is sad. <_< Edited August 27, 2004 by Vahe G.

[hytga]

the greco roman wreslings are done? or do we still have a chance for a lousy bronze?

 

btw. when is the armenian guy in americas team boxing with the cuban?

[Guest DoJudo]

Vanes is out of the tourny, the only guy from Armenia is Arayik Gevorkian freestyle 74kg. I don't know, looks like no medals for Armenia this time.

[Armen]

This happened because - together with all other political and economic shortcommings that Armenia has - IOC president of Armenia is Ishkhan Zakarian.

This guys is one of the personnal "problem solvers" of Armenia's governmental elite. He organises their fun activities, like banquettes and other gatherings. Helps them with petty political activities during elections etc. etc. I think he devotes only 10-15% of his time to Armenia's sport life. Actually, he is also Armenia's deputy-minister of culture, sport and youth affairs.

[Guest DoJudo]

so the Armenians can blame him for no medals? it's gotta be somebody right? I think in 2008 Armenia is gonna have a less athletes, as soon as some of the good athletes can get a chance to a country who actualy allocates funds for sports rather than allocating funds for their son's new Bently.

[hytga]

at least we can be proud by other armenians

3 bronze

1 silver

in wresling

http://www.nbcolympics.com/medals/1570050/detail.html

[nairi]

In wrestling. I thought Armenians were supposed to be peaceful people...

[Guest DoJudo]

you thought Armenians are gonna compete in Batminton or something? hot-blooded people we are. Most our athletes are in wrestling...actually the whole caucas region has good wrestlers...Azerbaijan, Turkey, Georgia(very good at Judo), Armenia.

[Armat]

There was an interesting discussion about commercialization of Olympics on radio today. To sum up in the near future athletes will no longer compete for their respected countries but for their sponsors such as Nike verses addidas teams etc.

[Nakharar]

Maybe it's because all the Athletes who are winning left the country for money. This is sad.

 

Did they really leave Armenia? Or were they residents of those countries before Armenia became independent. Georgia and Azerbaijan are also in a big mess, but I don't hear their athletes leaving for riches in other lands. If the first is true then our nationalist rhetoric is just that, rhetoric.

[DominO123]

Armenians winning medals. There might be others, this is what I have found searching in the list of few countries.

 

Karina Aznavourian(Gold) for RUS

Georgeta Damian(2 Gold) for ROM

Ara Abrahamian (Silver) for SWE

Artiom Kiouregkian (Bronze) for GRE

Mkkhitar Manukyan (Bronze) for KAZ

[vava]

There was an interesting discussion about commercialization of Olympics on radio today. To sum up in the near future athletes will no longer compete for their respected countries but for their sponsors such as Nike verses addidas teams etc.

Oh what a deplorable outlook. In a sense it's already happening to a certain extent....

[Armen]

Iravunq Weekly says that Armenia's Olympic delegation has successfully finished its observer mission at Athens olympics .

[Nakharar]

Iravunq Weekly says that Armenia's Olympic delegation has successfully finished its observer mission at Athens olympics  .

 

[nairi]

So the Greeks have Rabiz too

[Azat]

Why I love the Olympics

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040824/capt.olyvbb11808241914.greece_olympics_beach_volleyball_olyvbb118.jpg

 

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20040822/i/r1453951863.jpg

 

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20040822/capt.olyvbb13508221802.greece_olympics_beach_volleyball_olyvbb135.jpg

 

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20040821/i/r3347313818.jpg

[Arpa]

What a bummer!! :)

 

Azat, you are getting cheekier :) as time goes on.

 

That last girl has a ball between her legs. One more ball and she can play with the boys.

[gamavor]

Have you guys watched the Closing Ceremony? I had the feeling that I'm at Armenian Rabiz Party! Not only that but have you noticed TERENDEZ (jumping over fire)in Greek Style and also that male dance?

[Armen]

So the Greeks have Rabiz too

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

Have Rabiz? They invented Rabiz!

[Armen]

http://www.hzh.am/

 

Armenian Times' today's editorial discusses the reasons of Armenia's failure in Olympics.

[Armen]

Athens 2004 Olympic Games: A bitter harvest for Armenia

 

Tuesday, August 31, 2004

 

AZAD-HYE (30 August 2004): Actually there was no harvest at all. Armenia

could not even pocket a single bronze medal in the Athens 2004 Olympic

Games, although it was represented by 18 sportsmen, performing in nine sport

categories.

 

All neighboring countries achieved successful presence, compared to their

participation in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games (Azerbaijan scored 1 gold and

4 bronze medals, Georgia 2 gold and 2 silver, Turkey 3 gold, 3 silver and 4

bronze, and Iran 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze).

 

>>From the opening ceremony it was clear that the Armenian team was lacking

motivation. The men were wearing dark soviet style gruesome customs, while

there was only one woman representative in the whole team. The CBS channel

commentator mentioned that half of Armenia's population is below the poverty

rate and that the winners of the golden medals will receive 40 thousand

dollars (an amount that the Armenian Government eventually will not have to

spend). We were wondering why this sum was not spent before the Olympic

Games.

 

On 6 August 2004 President Robert Kocharian met with the participants and

coaches of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games in a resort located in Dilijan.

Addressing them he said "After the Olympics, I would like to hear each

participant say that he did his best to triumph". For much of his

disappointment the athletes will have nothing to tell him now. He promised

them to be in Athens in August 23 to encourage them (note that Azerbaijan's

President and Turkey's Prime Minister attended the opening ceremony and

inspected the situation of their athletes personally before the start of the

Games).

 

Armenia first appeared in the Olympic competitions as an independent state

in Atlanta 1996 Games, when Greco-roman wrestler, Arman Nazaryan won

Armenia's first Olympic title in the flyweight division. Also in Atlanta,

Armen Mkrchyan won a silver medal in light flyweight freestyle wrestling. At

the Sydney 2000 Games, Arsen Melikyan won a weightlifting bronze medal in

the middleweight division to bring the nation's tally to one gold, one

silver and one bronze.

 

But the Athens 2004 Games did not witness any kind of achievement under the

Armenian flag, although four individual Armenians achieved medals in

Greco-Roman wrestling under different flags (Armen Nazarian bronze medallist

for Bulgaria; Artiom Kiouregkian bronze medallist for Greece; Ara Abrahamian

silver medallist for Sweden and Mkkhitar Manukyan bronze medallist for

Kazakhstan). Incidentally the last three athletes are born in Gyumri in the

seventies of the last century and their life was devastated as youth when

they witnessed the earthquake of 1989.

 

Bulgarian "Novinite" newspaper (issue 26/8/2004) says that Armen Nazarian

was one of many Armenian wrestlers who sought greener pastures because of

the lack of funds in his homeland. He initially wanted to compete for

France, but the French said they didn't have the money to take him. He chose

Bulgaria partly because his girlfriend lived there, but mainly because of an

offer from the Slavia Litex wrestling club, where six of the eight members

of the 1999 Worlds team trained.

 

Similar stories are behind our other champions who are now competing under

different flags. If this trend continues we will feel much more disappointed

in Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

[Sasun]

If this trend continues we will feel much more disappointed

in Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

style_images/master/snapback.png

 

This thrend continue??? I am afraid there is no more room for the trend to continue as there can't be less than 0 medals (unless our athletes do so much worse that the olympic committee decides to strip Armenia of the old medals, hence the team would come back with something like -2 bronze medals, -1 silver medal, etc. )

[ED]

If the trend continues there will be no athletes who will represent Armenia in 2008, at list in a thru sense of the word when I say athletes. But in the other hand, expect to find lots of Armenians who will represent other countries.

[Armen]

http://www.azg.am/?lang=AR&num=2004092514

 

This article informs about how did Armenian NOC prepare for the Olympics. Some athlets found out that they're going to participate in the games just 5 days before olympics. Our swimmer had only 1 practice in a 50 meter pool during the preparation period. This says a lot...

Edited September 26, 2004 by ArmenSarg