 Flag of the Pan-Armenian Games | |
| First event | 1999 Yerevan |
|---|---|
| Occur every | Four years (formerly two years) |
| Last event | 2023 |
| Purpose | Multi-sport event forArmenian diaspora andArmenia. |
| Headquarters | Yerevan |
| Chairman of the World Committee | Ishkhan Zakaryan |
| Website | panarmeniangames.am |
ThePan-Armenian Games (Armenian:Համահայկական խաղեր,romanized: Hamahaykakan khagher) are amulti-sport event, held between competitors from theArmenian diaspora andArmenia. They consist of various competitions in individual and team sports among the Armenian athletes. It takes place inYerevan, the capital of Armenia.
The games are open toArmenian 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]
The idea of holding Pan-Armenian Games came fromSoviet diplomatAshot Melik-Shahnazaryan, who first thought of the idea of organizing universal games for allArmenians while he was on a business trip in 1965 toBrazzaville,Republic of Congo, that was getting ready to participate in the firstPan-African Games. But because Armenia was a Soviet republic and that such an idea was considered byMoscow to be nationalistic, Shahnazaryan had to wait until Armenia attained independence to try to put forth his brainchild.[citation needed]
In 1995, Melik-Shahnazaryan for the first time publicly announced his intentions to create the Pan-Armenians Games while he was inParis as a guest for World Games ofAGBU. He quickly gained the support of theArmenian 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 andHomenmen in diasporan cities such asLos Angeles,Toronto,Montreal,Buenos Aires,Beirut,Paris,London and many others.
During the founding meeting on 30 April 1997, inYerevan, World Committee of Pan-Armenian Games (WCPAG) was created, with the help of traditional Armenian unions of the Diaspora and theIranian-Armenian cultural-sport organization "Ararat". Representatives of state and public organizations of Armenia,Artsakh and also Armenian communities fromIran,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 theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC),UNESCO, theCouncil of Europe and other international sport units and contributes in developingsport in Armenia.
The Pan-Armenian Games are complex competitions in individual and team kinds of sport among athletes 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 arefootball, mini-football,basketball,volleyball,swimming,badminton,tennis,table tennis,chess, andathletics.
The first Pan-Armenian Games took place from 28 August 1999 to 5 September 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).[citation needed]
The Games are mostly held in Yerevan, Armenia. However, the opening ceremony of the 7th Pan-Armenian Games was hosted for the first time inStepanakert, the capital of theRepublic of Artsakh in August 2019.[2]
The opening ceremony of the 8th Pan-Armenian Games in August 2023 were held at theShirak Stadium in the city ofGyumri.[3]
| Year | Date | Sports | Athletes | Cities (Countries) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I[4] | 1999 | 28 August–5 September | 7 | 1141 | 63 (23) |
| II[5] | 2001 | 18–26 August | 9 | 1419 | 82 (27) |
| III[6] | 2003 | 16–24 August | 10 | 1559 | 82 (28) |
| IV[7] | 2007 | 18–26 August | 10 | 1576 | 94 (28) |
| V[8] | 2011 | 13–21 August | 10 | 3244 | 125 (33) |
| VI[9] | 2015 | 2–13 August | 17 | 6352 | 175 (35) |
| VII[10] | 2019 | 6–17 August | 17 | 5300 | 161 (35)[11] |
| VIII[12] | 2023 | 5–19 August | 17 | 7161 | 179 (41)[3] |
| IX | 2027 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Delegations are represented by country of residence, and participants from the same country march together during the opening ceremonies. Delegations from countries which have participated in the games have come from the following:[17][18]
Armenia
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Cyprus
Czechia
Egypt
Estonia
France
Georgia
Germany
Great Britain
Greece
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Netherlands
Poland
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Syria
Turkey
UAE
Ukraine
USA| 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 |
| Total | 114 | 113 | 114 | 341 |
 | ||
| Historic areas of Armenian settlement | ||
| Caucasus | ||
| Former Soviet Union | ||
| Americas | ||
| Europe | ||
| Middle East | ||
| Asia | ||
| Africa | ||
| Oceania | ||
