Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Clarifies Statements by Boxer Erik Israelian

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia finds it necessary to clarify the grievances expressed by Erik Israelian, the world and European youth boxing champion, regarding the financial support he claims to have not received from the state for his sporting achievements.

The Ministry informs that through various orders, the Minister has ensured that the athlete, along with many other athletes who have raised the sports honor of Armenia on international platforms, has received all awards stipulated by Armenian legislation for sporting achievements, along with a monthly pension and support.

Specifically, from January 1, 2022, for one year, the boxer received a nominal pension of 120,000 AMD per month for his outstanding results in 2021. From June 1, 2022, until November 1, he received a monthly support of 150,000 AMD for preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and from December, as the world youth championship winner, his monthly support increased to 200,000 AMD.

In December 2022, the boxer received a one-time year-end award of 800,000 AMD as the European youth championship winner, along with an additional one-time support of 1.5 million AMD as a winner of the world youth championship. Thus, the total state payments allocated to the boxer by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports from January 2022 to the present amount to 5 million 720 thousand AMD.

Additionally, it is worth mentioning that for the preparation of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the support provided to the athlete will be 200,000 AMD per month starting from January 1, 2023, while the nominal pension will amount to 240,000 AMD per month. The above amounts are presented excluding taxes and duties.

We find it necessary to inform that the Government of Armenia and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports do not implement a housing allocation program for sporting achievements. Attached is a report on the payments made.