Armenia’s Weightlifting Federation has challenged the legality of the National Olympic Committee’s general assembly, citing alleged procedural violations.

The federation said it was notified on April 3 about the April 11 general assembly meeting of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia (NOC), along with its agenda. However, “taking into account a number of apparent violations, the federation has applied to judicial authorities, challenging the legality of the ongoing processes,” the statement said.

“It should be noted that under the NOC charter, the president and members of the audit commission serve four-year terms. The last election of the president and members took place on September 9, 2021, which means their term should have ended on September 9, 2025. Consequently, all decisions made thereafter, including the convened meeting, cannot be considered valid or lawful.

At the same time, according to the charter, the audit commission must hold at least three meetings annually. None of these meetings took place over the past year, despite the commission having key functions such as overseeing financial activities and expenditures. Therefore, it is unclear what report will be prepared and presented, especially since no materials for the convened meeting have been provided.

We also consider it important to emphasize that the circulated agenda merely states that elections will be held, without specifying which bodies are to be formed or who the candidates are. This violates the federation’s right, as an NOC member, to elect and be elected. Taking into account these and a number of other apparent violations, the federation has applied to the courts to challenge the legality of the ongoing processes,” the statement said.

Earlier, it was reported that the Weightlifting Federation had filed a lawsuit demanding that the powers of NOC President Gagik Tsarukyan be recognized as terminated as of September 9, 2025, and, as a consequence, that all decisions and actions taken by the president and the commission after that date be declared invalid.

Since January 22, 2025, the federation has been headed by Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, while Tsarukyan has served as president of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia since September 9, 2004.

The plaintiff argues that his term expired on September 9, 2025, no new election was held, yet he has continued to serve as NOC president.