Ara Abrahamian is an Armenian-Swedish wrestler in Greco-Roman wrestling. He has won two World Championships in the 76 kg and 84 kg weight classes and a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the 84 kg weight class. He also won the bronze match at the 2008 Summer Olympics, but he rejected the medal because of a controversial ruling in the semifinal. During the highly publicised medal ceremony, Abrahamian protested by placing the medal in the center of the mat and walking away. He was later disqualified by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and stripped of his rejected bronze medal for disrupting the award ceremony. This resulted in him receiving a lifetime ban from the Olympics. He was also banned from wrestling for two years by FILA, but the ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in March 2009.
Mkhitar Manukyan is a retired Armenian-Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler. He competed at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 2004. He also won a world title in 1998 and 1999 and an Asian title in 1997 and 1999.
Armen Nazaryan is an Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler who later represented Bulgaria. Nazaryan is a two-time Olympic Champion, a three-time World Champion, and a six-time European Champion. After Armenia regained independence in 1991, Nazaryan became the first Olympic gold medalist for the country. He was recognized by the FILA as the best wrestler of the year in 1998 and 2003. In 2007, Nazaryan was inducted as a member of the FILA Hall of Fame.
Varteres Varteresovich Samurgashev is an Armenian-Russian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is a two-time European, two-time World and Olympic Champion. Samurgashev was awarded the Honoured Master of Sports of Russia title. He is a lawyer by profession, the President of the Wrestling Federation in the Rostov region, and Vice-President of the Russian Wrestling Federation. Samurgashev is an honorary citizen of Russia and Armenia.
A wide array of sports are played in Armenia. Popular Sports in Armenia include football, basketball, volleyball and hockey. Further, the country sends athletes to the Olympics in boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, gymnastics, track and field, diving, swimming and shooting. Armenia's mountainous terrain provides great opportunities for the practice of sports like skiing and rock climbing. Being a landlocked country, water sports can only be practiced on lakes, notably Lake Sevan. Competitively, Armenia has been very successful at chess, weightlifting, and wrestling at the international level. Armenia is also an active member of the international sports community, with full membership in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Federation of International Bandy (FIB), and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It also hosts the Pan-Armenian Games.
Roman Amoyan is an Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler of Yazidi descent. He is an Olympic bronze medalist, three-time World Championships medalist, and two-time European Champion. Amoyan received the Honored Master of Sports of Armenia title in 2009.
Armen Vardanyan is an Armenian-Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is an Olympic bronze medalist, three-time World Championships silver medalist, and two-time European Champion. He has also been awarded the Honoured Master of Sports Ukraine title.
Yury Patrikeyev is an Armenian-Russian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is an Olympic and World Championships medalist and four-time European Champion. Patrikeyev has been awarded the Master of Sport of Russia, International Class title.
Ruslan Basiev is a former Armenian and Russian Freestyle wrestler of Ossetian descent.
Tsimafei Aliaksandravich Dzeinichenka is an amateur Belarusian Greco-Roman wrestler, who competed in the men's heavyweight category. He won a silver medal for his division at the 2010 European Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and eventually defeated Armenia's Artur Aleksanyan for the gold at the 2011 European Wrestling Championships in Dortmund, Germany. He also captured a silver medal in the same division at the 2010 World Wrestling Championships in Moscow, Russia, losing out to Iran's Amir Aliakbari. Dzeinichenka is a member of the wrestling team for Dynamo Homel, and is coached and trained by Ihar Piatrenka.
Levon Julfalakyan is a former Soviet Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is an Olympic, World, and European Champion and was merited Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1988. Julfalakyan is the current head coach of the Armenian national Greco-Roman wrestling team and President of the Union of Armenian Olympians, as well as a member of the Executive Committee of the NOC.
Mnatsakan Iskandaryan is a former Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler who competed for the Soviet Union and Russia. Iskandaryan is an Olympic Champion, three-time World Champion, and two-time European Champion. He earned the rank Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1991 and was named Honoured Coach of Russia in 2000. In 2012, Iskandaryan was inducted into the FILA Hall of Fame as the sole Greco-Roman inductee. He's the second Armenian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, after Armen Nazaryan.
Sanasar Oganisyan is a former Soviet Armenian Freestyle wrestler and Olympic, World and European Champion. He became an Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1980.
Suren Nalbandyan is a former Soviet Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler. He is a five-time Soviet Champion, European Champion and Olympic Champion. He was awarded the Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR and USSR Badge of Honor titles in 1976.
David Safaryan is an Armenian and Russian Freestyle wrestler and World and European Champion.
Aghasi Manukyan was an Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler. He was a World Cup winner and World Champion. Manukyan earned the Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR Master of Sports of International Class title in 1987.
Aram Margaryan is a retired Armenian Freestyle wrestler. He is a World Champion, winning the gold medal in 2002. Margaryan was awarded the Honored Master of Sports of Armenia title in 2009.
Vadim Laliev is a retired Ossetian Freestyle wrestler. He joined the Russian national wrestling team in 1999 and switched to the Armenian national wrestling team in 2006. Laliev won a bronze medal at the European Wrestling Championships twice, in 2003 representing Russia and in 2006 representing Armenia. He is the younger brother of Olympic silver medalist Gennadiy Laliev.
Denis Forov is a retired Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler. He was on the Ukrainian national wrestling team as a cadet and the Russian national wrestling team as a junior.
Musa Murtazaliev is an Armenian Freestyle wrestler of Avar descent. Although he is from Dagestan, Musa feels comfortable representing Armenia.
