Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Comments on Controversial Post by Boxer Erik Israelian

Erik Israelian, the winner of the 2022 World and European Youth Boxing Championships, has announced his renunciation of Armenian citizenship. The athlete shared this news on his Facebook page.

Israelian has indicated that he is moving to another country. The 19-year-old boxer explained his decision as stemming from the indifference of the relevant authorities, who do not recognize his achievements.

In relation to this topic, "Lurer" had a phone conversation with Narine Shahbazyan, the head of the sports policy department at the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. Shahbazyan stated that Israelian has received all the bonuses entitled to him from the state over the past two years. "In 2022, Erik Israelian's total financial support amounted to 4 million 600 thousand drams, of which 1.5 million drams was received at the end of the year as a winner of the World Youth Championship, and he received 800 thousand drams at the end of the year as a reward for being the winner of the European Youth Championship. Since January 2023, he has been receiving a monthly sports allowance of 200 thousand drams and a nominal pension of 240 thousand drams," Shahbazyan stated.

It is noteworthy that Israelian had also posted on social media on December 7, 2022, expressing his intention to compete under another country's flag and expressing his discontent that he had not been congratulated by the Armenian Boxing Federation.