YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. September 5 is the anniversary of the death of the famous Armenian gymnast, distinguished figure of physical culture and sports, three-time Olympic champion, world and European champion, “King of Men” Albert Azaryan. In connection with this, the opening ceremony of the bronze statue of the legendary gymnast was held in the pantheon of Komitas Park, which was attended by the RA Minister of Sports and Sports, Zhanna Andreasyan and Deputy Minister Karen Giloyan.
“Armenpress”As reported by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Armenia, a memorial service was held on the occasion of the anniversary, those present laid flowers on the grave of Albert Azaryan and incensed his memory. The President of the Gymnastics Federation of Armenia Gagik Vanoyan, Olympic Games champion Eduard Azaryan, Olympic Games silver and bronze medalist Artur Davtyan, gymnastics team athletes, coaches, sports fans, members of the Azaryan family were present.
The author of the statue created with state funding is the sculptor Gor Davtyan. According to him, Eduard Azaryan, the son of the legendary gymnast, chose the final version from the several sketches presented, performing the “Azaryan cross” in an inclined position.
“Albert Azaryan is an athlete who left a mark in the world history of gymnastics, which is reflected not only by the triple championship of the Olympic Games, but also by the “Azaryan oblique cross”. We did not need to think long. we understood that this legendary exercise should be the basis of the composition. It was very important to show the movement correctly, and the entire staff of the Albert Azaryan gymnastics school helped me a lot. Of course, the responsibility was very big, but I often visited the sports school, followed the training of our gymnasts who were preparing for the Olympic Games in Paris, and talked with them. Listening to their advice and following the training, my anxiety was relieved,” says the young sculptor.
According to Gagik Vanoyan, president of the Gymnastics Federation of Armenia, the statue dedicated to Albert Azaryan is a testimony of the state’s appreciation for the life and activities of the legendary gymnast.
“This is the state’s worthy assessment of Mr. Azaryan’s merits. It was a great honor to work and communicate with such a legendary person. I can confidently say that there has not been a single day during this year that we have not felt the lack of his presence, his inspiring look, his advices and teachings,” said Gagik Vanoyan.
The head coach of the Armenian gymnastics team, Hakob Serobyan, emphasizes that it is not possible to replace Albert Azaryan, and the Armenian gymnastics family has one goal: to always uphold the honor of the legendary athlete and the sports school named after him. “After the death of Albert Azaryan, we promised ourselves that we would definitely win a medal at the Olympic Games. Of course, we would very much like to win a gold medal, but I am sure that a silver medal would also give Mr. Azaryan great joy. Albert Azaryan posted the photo of Artur Davtyan, the bronze medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics, on the wall of his office. considered it a great advance. Mr. Azaryan is always with us. we have had Olympic champions and we can have them again. His place in the sports school is very visible, we feel a void and we cannot fill that gap, but we must do everything to always keep the name of Albert Azaryan and the honor of his sports school high on international platforms.”
Albert Azaryan passed away on September 5, 2023 at the age of 94. He is an honored master of sports of the USSR (1954), an honored coach of the USSR, an honored figure of physical culture and sports of the USSR (1967).
He participated in competitions in 49 countries of the world, won 45 gold, 42 silver and 10 bronze medals. He is a three-time Olympic, four-time world and two-time European champion. He was awarded the title of champion 11 times in the championships of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.
According to the certification of the International Gymnastics Federation, the complex of exercises performed by him on rings was officially named “Azaryan Cross”.
