The world was obsessed with Paris for about two weeks. It was a great platform for peaceful rivalry between nations and states. Our small Armenia performed with dignity and competed on equal terms with the strongest in the world.
Unfortunately, Paris-2024 was held in conditions of the worldwide tension, human tragedies, incessant wars, and unfair detention of our compatriots in Baku prisons.
I have been trying to draw attention to this fact on all occasions.
Unfortunately, many of the strongest athletes from different countries were unable to take part in this wonderful event for unsportsmanlike reasons.
Regrettably, there was also a noticeable judicial injustice, and many athletes, including those representing Armenia, suffered because of it.
At the same time, Paris-2024 was a well-organized and brilliant event.
I would like to thank all our athletes, coaches and all the members of our delegation. A considerably large amount of work, which usually goes unnoticed by sports fans and the public, has been done by them. I am grateful to our athletes for granting our people moments of joy and pride during these difficult days.
Our nation really needs it, and they have done it with honor.
I want to thank our sports fans, our sincere, worthy, our dear sports fans. The breath of the Armenians of the whole world was felt in Paris and gave strength to the athletes and the team.
I would like to express my special gratitude to the Armenian communities of France and Paris. Throughout the Olympics, they were with us, they were in the gyms, encouraging athletes with their presence and willingness to be useful in everything.
We witnessed the best manifestations of Armenian unanimity and Armenia-Diaspora unity during the Olympic Games. Thanks to our athletes, we were united for about two weeks, lived with common goals and common dreams.
Concerning purely sporting results, of course, we all expected and wanted the best. But real life, as always, makes its own adjustments. We had 3 silver and 1 bronze medals, and everyone could see that we could get more. In one case, they were not lucky, in another – the referees’ decisions were not fair. Some of our athletes are still very young, they have just started their sport path, and they will surely show their best results.
There are new tournaments ahead- the World and European championships. For many athletes, Paris was just the beginning.
In particular, I would like to highlight Varazdat Lalayan’s performance, he was too close to defeat the real legend of world weightlifting, Lasha Talakhadze, and, according to an unwritten law in sports, to be proclaimed the strongest man on the planet. This time it didn’t work out as the excitement prevented it. Was it an accident? I do not know, but, in my opinion, as far as Varazdat is concerned, we may soon have a new legend of weightlifting. Our task is to support and inspire him as well as the younger generation of athletes for further success and the next Olympics.
As President of the Olympic Committee, I express my support to all our athletes, and I assure sports fans that our teams will use the results of the Paris Games as an important experience. Life goes on, and preparatory work for Los Angeles-2028 will begin from tomorrow. We must do our utmost so that by that time we should have a stronger state, a more peaceful society and a bigger and stronger Olympic team.