Olympics ‘25
The AYF Olympic Games are returning to Boston for the seventh time in its 91-year history. The last time was in 2012, when Providence won, Rich Chebookjian and Ara Krafian were chosen Olympic kings and Astor Guzelian received the Varadian Spirit Award.
Boston is special. It is a city with a significant historic profile and the incomparable Fenway Park—home of the family of ARF organizations, the Hairenik and Armenian Weekly and neighbor to the iconic “Little Armenia” called Watertown, with its charming Mt. Auburn Street.
The largest family reunion in the United States is about to begin.
Boston chapters have a storied history in the Olympics. Boston “Siamanto” Chapter won its first Olympics in 1981 and amazingly repeated the feat in 1985 with five straight wins and retired the Cup in ’83.
The only other chapter to win five in a row was Providence (1955-59), of course!
After a merger with Watertown in 2000, the newly formed Greater Boston “Nejdeh” Chapter went on to win four times, retiring the Cup in 2022.
All-time team points through 2024 place Siamanto in fourth with 2,326 points and Nejdeh fifth with 2,021 points.
As we near the upcoming Olympics, it is meaningful to reflect on past Boston chapter wins and remember the achievements of Boston AYF youth throughout the years.
1981: The first Boston “Siamanto” win—at home
The Siamanto chapter amassed 195 points to defeat runner-up Detroit’s 98 points and 10 other chapters. The previous year, Boston had earned 109 points, winning the award for the “most improved chapter.”
Fred Hintlian and Brian Tatirosian shared top scorer honors in swimming with 15 points each. Further, Mark Parsekian posted an outstanding 3,000-meter time of 9:23.5. Siamanto led in the pool with 40 points, an area where Detroit typically excelled.
With Brian dominating, Boston also won the men’s relay. As host, Boston won the swim title with four swimmers.
Jim Ahigian and Eric Hannenian medaled in the 50-yard freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly swim events.
John and Paula Moushigian were the first-ever married couple to win events—both won gold: John in men’s golf and Paula in women’s golf. John also placed second in the men’s discus.
Leo Kashian won gold in the 800 meters, silver in the triple jump and bronze in the 1,500-meter run.
In the pentathlon, Rich Chebookjian and Alison Aylaian absolutely dominated, adding 30 points to their team total. Leo Kashian took second in the triple jump and first in the 800-meter run; Koko Doursounian picked up silver in the men’s dashes and the Boston men’s relay team set a 1,600-meter relay record at 3:30, also winning the 400-meter relay.
Marie Arabian medaled in the women’s dashes and long jump and helped the 400-meter relay team achieve an outstanding one-second victory over Detroit.
Hal and Marty Avedesian of the nearby Somerville AYF chapter were chosen Olympic kings.
1982 Weekly headline: “Boston defends AYF Olympic Crown”
The host chapter, Philadelphia, finished with its highest point total ever (77.5), but Boston defended its title with 167 points. Detroit followed with 129 points among 18 chapters, including Glendale.
The Siamanto duo of Brian Tatirosian and Eric Hannenian commanded the swimming events with a total of three golds and three bronzes. The relay foursome, which included Fred Hintlian and Jim Ahigian, easily took the 200-yard medley as well as the 220 freestyle.
Fred Hintlian, who earned first place in high hurdles and the 800 meters, and placed second in long jump, shared the title of highest scorer with Paul Varadian of Providence.
Leo Kashian set a pentathlon record with 3,058 points, while teammate Marie Arabian won the girls’ pentathlon. Together, they secured 30 points for Siamanto in the event, despite strong competition from Raffi Sarafian of Detroit.
Doug Aylaian won silvers in the 400-meter and 200-meter dashes, while Mark Parsekian won the 1600-meter run and was a strong second in the 3,200-meter run.
John Moushigian and Mark Germagian medaled in discus, high jump and pole vault.
Boston dominated the men’s 400-meter and 1,600-meter relays with Hintlian, Chebookjian, Kashian, Aylaian and Doursounian handling the baton.
The Siamanto girls—Alison Aylaian, Shooshan Tutunjian, Robyn Paroyian and Marie Arabian—also swept the 400 and 800-meter relays.
On the ladies’ side for Boston, Alison Aylaian won gold in the 200 and 100-meter dashes, Robyn Paroyian medaled in the baseball throw and 400-meter dash, while Shooshan Tutunjian gained silver in javelin. Her performance pushed her past the 100-point mark at the Olympics, making her the third-highest scorer among the ladies at the time.
The full text of the article is available on the original website.
Harry Derderian
