Pan-Armenian Games

Pan Armenian
Համահայկական խաղեր

flag of the Pan-Armenian Games
First event	1999 Yerevan
Occur every	Two years then Four Years
Last event	2015
Purpose	Multi-sport event for Armenian diaspora and Armenia.

The Pan-Armenian Games (Armenian: Համահայկական խաղեր) are a multi-sport event, held between competitors from the Armenian diaspora and Armenia. They consist of various competitions in individual and team sports among the Armenian athletes. It takes place in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Eligibility

The Games are open to Armenian passport-holders (irrespective of national origin) and citizens of other countries who have Armenian descent. Spouses of those of Armenian descent are also eligible to compete.^[1]

History

The idea of holding a Pan-Armenians Games was first thought by Soviet diplomat Ashot Melik-Shahnazaryan. He first thought of the idea of organizing universal games for all Armenians while he was on a business trip in 1965 to Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, that was getting ready to participate in the first Pan-African Games. But because Armenia was a Soviet republic and that such an idea was considered by Moscow to be nationalistic, Shahnazaryan had to wait until Armenia attained independence to try and put forth his brainchild.

In 1995, Ashot Melik-Shahnazaryan for the first time publicly announced his intentions to create the Pan-Armenians Games while he was in Paris as a guest for World Games of AGBU. He quickly gained the support of the Armenian diaspora with whom he did not have any contact during Soviet times. The idea of organizing sporting events for all Armenians and the motto of the future World Committee "Unity through Sport" was highly supported by representatives of Homenetmen, AGBU and Homenmen in diasporan cities such as Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, Beirut, Paris and many others.

During the founding meeting on April 30, 1997 in Yerevan, World Committee of Pan-Armenian Games (WCPAG) was created, with the help of traditional Armenian unions of the Diaspora and the Iranian-Armenian cultural-sport organization "Ararat". Representatives of state and public organizations of Armenia, NKR and also Armenian communities from Iran, Argentina, Turkey, Australia, Germany, Canada, Cyprus, France and other countries became members. Ashot Melik-Shahnazaryan was elected the first president of WCPAG. He also became the creator of the emblem, cup, medals, almost all the symbols of the organization and also the official anthem and the farewell song of the games.

Today, the WCPAG is a non-governmental, international organization that collaborates with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), UNESCO, the Council of Europe and other international sport units and contributes in developing sport in Armenia.

The Games

The Pan-Armenian Games are complex competitions in individual and team kinds of sport among athletes of the Republic of Armenia and athletes of Armenian origin from other countries. The athletes from various parts of the world represent the cities in which they come from and not countries like other pan-games. The Pan-Armenian Games take place mainly in Yerevan, Armenia. The sports played during the games are football, mini-football, basketball, volleyball, swimming, badminton, tennis, table tennis, chess and athletics.

The first Pan-Armenian Games took place from August 28, 1999 to September 5, 1999. Delegations from 62 cities and 23 countries participated in the games.

In 2003, it was decided to transform the Games into once every four years (instead of once every two years). This decision was then subsequently reversed, and the dates for the 2009 games are 8 to 16 August.

The Games were held in Yerevan, Armenia.

	Year	Date	sports	Athletes	Cities (Countries)
I[2]	1999	28 August- 5 September	7	1141	63 (23)
II[3]	2001	18 - 26 August	9	1419	82 (27)
III[4]	2003	16 - 24 August	10	1559	82 (28)
IV[5]	2007	18 - 26 August	10	1576	94 (28)
V[6]	2011	13 - 21 August	10	3244	125 (33)
VI[7]	2015	2 - 13 August	17	6352	175 (35)

The medals won by cities (Top 5)

The medals won by cities

City	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
Yerevan	51	42	47	140
Gyumri	15	12	19	46
Vanadzor	6	8	4	18
Stepanakert	5	4	6	15
Tbilisi	4	2	2	8
Totaal	114	113	114	341

See also

• Sport in Armenia

Notes

1. Pan-Armenian Games - regulations
2. "Ամառային առաջին խաղեր - Համահայկական Խաղեր". Retrieved 3 August 2015.
3. "Ամառային երկրորդ խաղեր - Համահայկական Խաղեր". Retrieved 3 August 2015.
4. "Ամառային երրորդ խաղեր - Համահայկական Խաղեր". Retrieved 3 August 2015.
5. "Ամառային չորրորդ խաղեր - Համահայկական Խաղեր". Retrieved 3 August 2015.
6. "Ամառային հինգերորդ խաղեր - Համահայկական Խաղեր". Retrieved 3 August 2015.
7. http://panarmeniangames.am/hy/component/k2/item/159-6. Retrieved 3 August 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)