Three Armenian Weightlifters to Compete in Online Tournament

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, sports events are gradually transitioning to online formats. A major international online weightlifting tournament dedicated to Uzbekistan's Independence Day will take place on August 29. Armenia has been allocated five spots: Andranik Karapetyan (87 kg), Samvel Gasparyan (102 kg), and super heavyweight Varazdat Lalayan. Also selected were Simon Martirosyan and Gor Minasyan; however, they will not compete as they are still recovering from injuries.

This information was reported by the official website of the Armenian National Olympic Committee (ANOC).

Weightlifters placing in the top three will receive cash prizes of $2,500, $1,500, and $750 respectively. If the tournament is successful, a similar event for athletes under 20 years old will also be held.

The head coach of the Armenian national team, Pashik Alaverdyan, stated that the focus will be on the European Championship starting on October 31 in Moscow, as it is an Olympic qualifying event. There will also be elections for the leadership of the European Weightlifting Federation. Among the candidates for the refereeing board is Arayik Alaverdyan, a leading specialist at the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Armenia, and an international high-level referee. Notably, Alaverdyan is also included in the refereeing committee for Uzbekistan's online tournament.