Armenian wrestler wins silver at European Games in BakuJune 15, 2015 - 12:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia’s Greco-Roman wrestler Mihran Harutyunyan has brought the first medal to his team at the European Games being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, Armenia Now reports. The 26-year-old athlete performing in the 66-kg weight division lost to Russia’s Artyom Surkov in the final and was awarded a silver medal. Another Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler, Maxim Manukyan, was left without a medal as he lost to a Turkish competitor in the 85-kg division bronze medal bout. Earlier in the competition, Manukyan beat Azerbaijan’s wrestler Saman Takhmasebi 9-0. Armenia’s Freestyle wrestlers are due to engage in the competition on June 17. All in all, Team Armenia consists of 25 athletes competing in six sports (sambo martial arts, shooting, judo, wrestling, boxing, and taekwondo) at the Games that will be held through June 28. Performances of Armenian athletes are taking place under heavy psychological pressure from the stands, reflecting the hostile relations that exist between Armenia and Azerbaijan due to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. The Armenian delegation heard booing and hissing from the Olympic Stadium in Baku during the athletes’ parade when the Games were ceremonially launched on Friday, June 12. Russia’s ethnic Armenian wrestler Stepan Maryanyan, who won a gold medal in the 59-kg Greco-Roman final on Saturday and also beat an Azerbaijani rival on the way to his victory, spoke about “pressure in the hall” as he talked to international media after the competition. The National Olympic Committee of Armenia made the decision to send athletes to Baku after representatives of the International and European Olympic committees as well as the government of Azerbaijan provided security guarantees for them. Some leading athletes, including world wrestling champions Arsen Julfalakyan and Artur Alexanyan, decided to skip the Games, officially explaining their decisions by the need to train for the world championships due in September. Many in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora have also criticized the country’s sporting community for its decision to send athletes to the Games that are widely viewed as a means for Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime to promote its international image. Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |