THE WORLD CHAMPION IS LEAVING ARMENIA. THE REASON IS THE INDIFFERENCE BY THE STATE SPORTS DEPARTMENT
May 5 2014
Recently, the President of Armfighting federation Hayk Ghukasyan
announced that the world champion by ProFc David Khachatryan last
time will act in the defense fight for the championship belt with the
Turkish opponent in the city of Yaroslavl on May 11 under the flag of
Armenia. “After that, David will enter the Octagon as a representative
of the Russian Federation,” said the coach of the champion. Aravot.am
was excited about this statement, even though Hayk Ghukasyan and
David Khachatryan had hinted on it during the press conference held
after the next victory in Russia, on April, noting that if Armenia
offers the athlete at least 10 percent of conditions offered by Russia
and Iran, David will definitely stay in Armenia. Today, during the
conversation held in Armfighting federation, Hayk Ghukasyan said
to Aravot.am, “What we have accomplished until now, we had done is
solely on our resources. We have not received a penny from the state
as support. The athlete’s life in sports is short. Moreover, in the
professional martial arts, where each fight in the ring is full of
health hazards. David is already 26 years old, with a family and a
child.And endangering his health, he earns by fighting. During all
this time, we had solved all the problems together with our existing
capabilities. Now, his status is quite different. David is a world
renowned fighter, and it has been for three years that many countries
are interested in his services. In the meantime, there had been
numerous proposals. But we have rejected for the sake of Armenia, and
the honor of the Armenia sporting flag… and have got zero attention
and attitude. There has been no penny of state funding. Moreover,
I was told at the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs that the IOC
does not accept general fighting as a sport game. To a certain extent,
I agree. But, the Ministry is also involved in education issues
of the youth, isn’t it. More than thousands of boys and young men
getting trained in the branches of the Federation throughout Armenia,
possessing the alphabet and nuances of the so-called “fighting”,
afterwards they start preventing the street fights. As for David,
he is not an ordinary athlete anymore. He has a stable place in
the world’s elite. And it is not in vain that Russia and Iran were
persistently pursuing for three years to acquire him, offering ideal
conditions. What? Don’t they know that our sport is not an Olympic?
Even now, I am reluctantly going for this step. But there is no
alternative. Let it not seem immodest, but today athletes of seven
countries willingly are trained in the small area rented at No. 188
School by our Federation, and are willing to act under the flag of
Armenia. Whereas we… We do not devote much attention to our world
champion. I am no more able to tell by world champion trained here in
Armenia to stay, if he cannot be paid to meet the minimum necessary
requirements. One more thing. David Khachatryan is not one of the
athletes who hold one or two fights in the professional ring and
then submit arrogant demands. In the professional ring, a record is
registered next to his name: 15 wins and 2 losses. Moreover, winning
the current world champions. Four more wins were not registered. And
the two losses were the result of bias. In fact, recently the coach of
one of these two “happy men” admitted in front of the camera that David
had actually won his trainee, but the victory was taken away from him.”
Ashot HAKOBYAN
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