Armenia’s Olympiad Winning Chess Team Honored At Home

ARMENIA’S OLYMPIAD WINNING CHESS TEAM HONORED AT HOME

Chess | 10.09.12 | 22:40

Armenian chess players have returned home to heroes’ welcome after
winning the 40th World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday.

President Serzh Sargsyan personally went to the airport on Monday to
meet the chess players who won Armenia’s third Olympic gold, matching
the result so far achieved by only two nations in the world – the
non-existent Soviet Union and its legal successor Russia.

Speaking at a ceremony organized at his residence in honor of the
team Sargsyan said that this latest chess victory once again shows
that while Armenians can be strong individually, they can also be
strong as a team.

“This is a message to all of us as to how each of us should be working
in their own place,” said Sargsyan, who also heads the Armenian
Chess Federation.

For their “brilliant victory” at the World Chess Olympiad and
promoting the image of Armenia abroad the five members of the team
and its coach received awards from the president.

Armenia’s coach Arshak Petrosyan and leading grandmaster Levon Aronian
were awarded with St. Mesrop Mashtots Orders, while GMs Vladimir
Akopian, Sergei Movsesian, Tigran Petrosian and Gabriel Sargissian
received Orders of Honor. A number of chess functionaries also received
medals from the president for promoting the sport in Armenia.

In a short return speech Aronian, speaking on behalf of the team,
said they were humbled by the warm feelings towards them from the
people and state officials and thanked the president personally for
his support and promotion of chess.

Sargsyan, meanwhile, fatherly chided Aronian for his modesty, saying
to him: “The best way for you to thank me will be winning the world
champion’s title.”

Aronian, who is currently FIDE’s second best player, will engage in
an eight-man tournament in London next March to decide the challenger
to the reigning World Chess Champion from India, Viswanathan Anand,
in the match for the chess crown later in 2013.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress