A homage evening and award ceremony took place at A. Spendiaryan opera and ballet academic house yesterday, during which “Prosperous Armenia” Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan, RA president Serzh Sargsyan, NA president Hovik Abrahamyan, RA National Security Council secretary Arthur Baghdasaryan, other officials, athletes, coaches and sport fans were present.

Different kinds of white cars were waiting outside for the champions. The homage evening began with forth-year report film of Armenian National Olympic Committee main activity. National Olympic anthem sounded and this year best athletes and their coaches were asked to the stage.
 
In his speech to the awarded athletes and coaches Armenian National Olympic Committee president Gagik Tsarukyan stated that the year of 2008 was really a year of success and victory in sports sphere. “I think that the year of 2008 will be written with gold letters in the history of Armenian sport, as all our expectations, of course not fully, but sufficiently were fulfilled. I hope that from now on all our victories will be more staid”,-he said. In Mr. Tsarukyan’s opinion our athletes and chess-players proved to the world and showed both their physical might and their brain power. Significant fact is also the success our boxers had at Europe Championship- 2 gold medals after 20 years brake. “The base is set, if there is a wish, hard work, will, aspiration, then nothing is impossible”,-ascertained Mr. Tsarukyan, adding, that during the London Olympic games the type of medals is expected to be changed and also it is expected to increase the quantity of these medals.

6 Weight-lifters, bronze medalists of 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games Tigran V. Martirosyan, Gevorg Davtyan, Tigran G. Martirosyan, Greco-Roman style wrestlers Roman Amoyan, Yuri Patrikeev and boxer Hrachik Javakhyan yesterday themselves received their awards from president -10 million drams and “Hyundai” cars. The chief coach of Armenia’s weightlifting team Ashot Mkhitaryan was honoured with the biggest award-besides a foreign car he was also awarded with 20 million drams. Distinctive fact is also the fact that Armenia’s weightlifting team won the third place in the world with its quantity of medals after China and Russia.
 
Greco-Roman wrestling, boxing and weightlifting national teams’ second and personal coaches also received cars and monetary awards.
 
The masters of sage play, 5 Armenian heroes of the 38th Chess Olympics Levon Aronyan, Vladimir Hakobyan, Gabriel Sargsyan, Tigran Petrosyan, Artashes Minasyan and their coach Arshak Petrosyan were awarded with “Niva” cars.

Athletes of Europe Boxing Championship who returned to Armenia with 2 gold and one silver medal were also awarded. Gold medalists Eduard Hambartsumyan and Hovhannes Danielyan received “VAZ 2107” cars for the first significant victory, and silver medalist Tsolak Ananikyan received 1 million drams.