Twice Olympic champion, thrice world champion and six times European champion, wrestler Armen Nazaryan is in Yerevan now. He left Armenia in 1996 and lives in Bulgaria. As soon as he entered that country, he was granted the Bulgarian citizenship by the order of the Bulgarian president. Moreover, the Armenian wrestler holds the title of honorary citizen,
is loved and accepted. Armen Nazaryan’s name is written on the walls of FILA and Bulgaria Halls Of Fame. During a conversation with www.aravot.am, Armen Nazaryan, an Olympic champion of independent Armenia, was sorry that he wasn’t able to participate in these Olympic Games because of an injury, “These games would have been my 5th Olympic games, unfortunately, I was injured in recent months and lagged behind in training. I would like very much to participate, because I was close to an Olympic medal. Admittedly, my age is not the best one – I am 38 – but I am experienced and sure of myself.” The sportsman wishes that one day his sons, Edmond and Grisha, will win Olympic gold.
Armen Nazaryan remembers the 1990s and the reasons for leaving Armenia, “I am not offended, but I want to assert that I was the first Olympic champion of independent Armenia. 196 countries participated in the Olympic Games and thanks to me, the Armenian Tricolor was raised in Atlanta (USA), at the Olympic Games, moreover, presidents of 120 countries were present at the Olympics and were watching the matches and presidents of 80 countries met their sportsmen as heroes. No one met me…. I came to Armenia victorious and I was not received by the leadership within 5-6 months after that. Those problems had always been there and the government was different at the time.”
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He says that if the conditions at the time had been the same as today, he surely wouldn’t have left Armenia.
Gohar HAKOBYAN
