Gymnastics Team Coach Haik Nazaryan Expelled from Qatar for 5 Years

The coach of the Armenian gymnastics national team, Haik Nazaryan, has been expelled from Qatar for 5 years prior to the World Cup event. This was announced during a press conference by the head coach of the Armenian gymnastics national team, Hakob Serobyan.

“When we arrived in Doha, Haik Nazaryan was held for a very long time during passport control—almost 24 hours—and then we found out that he has been expelled for 5 years. But it is unclear to us why,” Serobyan said.

The head coach requested assistance in determining the cause of the expulsion, noting that this was not the first time Nazaryan had traveled to Qatar. According to him, this has had a negative psychological impact on the entire team, but despite this, the athletes performed quite effectively.

“Arthur Davtyan once again proved that he is the world champion. We knew before the competition that Arthur would win a medal, but we also had surprises in Doha. Gagik Khachikyan won a silver medal despite competing against the current world champion, who took 5th place, while the reigning runner-up finished 7th. Arthur Avetisyan’s 3rd place was also a significant achievement,” the head coach noted.

As for Harutyun Merdianyan's performance, the coach reported that he sustained a wrist injury, which affected his performance slightly. Serobyan expressed hope that this issue would be resolved before the start of the European Championship.

It is worth noting that Arthur Davtyan, an Olympic bronze medalist and champion of the world and Europe, recently secured the first position in the final of the vault at the second round of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup held in Doha, winning a gold medal with a total score of 15.083 for two vaults.