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LOW BLOW?: ARMENIAN SPORTING COMMUNITY RAPS PRO-GOVERNMENT MP OVER "DISRESPECTFUL" COMMENTS
By Suren Musayelyan
ArmeniaNow
08.10.12 | 10:20
Some of what MP Levon Martirosyan (L) said during a Q&A with Minister
of Sports Hrachya Rostomyan was taken as "disrespectful" attitude by
outstanding representatives of the Armenian sports.
Criticism of the current sports affairs from the mouth of a
pro-government lawmaker in parliament last week did not go down well
with the nation's famous athletes of the past and present believed to
be patronized by a millionaire businessman whose opposition-leaning
party has been increasingly at odds with the political majority
of late.
During a question-and-answer session with government officials last
Wednesday Levon Martirosyan, an MP with the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA), spoke about the lack of progress in the sphere
of sports where despite the presence of a nominally non-partisan
minister the major role appears to be still played by the leader of
the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), Gagik Tsarukyan, who is also the
head of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia (NOCA).
The PAP has criticized the government in recent months after refusing
to form a new coalition with the RPA and withdrawing its ministers
from the government following the May parliamentary elections.
Tsarukyan, however, did not resign as the NOCA president. The former
world arm-wrestling champion instead personally promised hefty bonuses
to athletes who would win gold medals at last summer's Olympic Games
in London. Contrary to expectations, most Armenian athletes performed
below average, with Team Armenia earning only one silver and two
bronze medals.
More than three dozen current and former athletes, including Olympic
champions Albert Azaryan, Oksen Mirzoyan, Israel Militosyan, Arsen
Nazaryan and others signed an open letter late last week protesting
the criticism from MP Martirosyan and taking it as a "disrespectful
ridicule" of the sporting community.
"Sportsmen and sportswomen are members of one large sporting family
and they uphold the honor of Armenia in the world. It is due to these
sportsmen and sportswomen that the national anthem of our Homeland
has repeatedly been played on foreign soil and it is due to their
merits that the national flag of Armenia has been raised even in
such hostile countries as Turkey and Azerbaijan," said the letter,
in turn, calling MP Martirosyan's "only merit" his being a brother
of popular entertainer Garik Martirosyan, who has made a name for
himself on Russian television in recent years.
"It is outrageous that a person who has absolutely nothing to do
with sports raises questions about sports," the authors of the letter
concluded.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Aravot daily Martirosyan defended his
integrity and right of being critical, while denying any disrespectful
attitude towards the community of athletes.
"Kudos to the athletes who have won medals. But this is a different
matter... I was simply reacting to the answer of the minister, because
he insisted on progress being made in the sphere he is in charge of.
As a member of parliament and a huge sport fan myself I couldn't
but disagree with it and this is my opinion," explained Martirosyan,
voicing doubts that those who had signed the letter even heard his
speech in the National Assembly.
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have written such a thing," he added.
PAP and RPA representatives have not yet made public comments on the
matter that some view as another dimension of growing differences
in the relations between the two former allies that are increasingly
positioning themselves on the opposing sides of the political fence
ahead of next year's presidential ballot.
PAP lawmakers did not attend the Q&A session in question after
deciding to boycott the rest of last week's four-day proceedings
of the legislature following a controversial vote in the National
Assembly on Tuesday that lifted the parliamentary immunity of PAP
member and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian, who
currently faces prosecution on embezzlement charges.
By Suren Musayelyan
ArmeniaNow
08.10.12 | 10:20
Some of what MP Levon Martirosyan (L) said during a Q&A with Minister
of Sports Hrachya Rostomyan was taken as "disrespectful" attitude by
outstanding representatives of the Armenian sports.
Criticism of the current sports affairs from the mouth of a
pro-government lawmaker in parliament last week did not go down well
with the nation's famous athletes of the past and present believed to
be patronized by a millionaire businessman whose opposition-leaning
party has been increasingly at odds with the political majority
of late.
During a question-and-answer session with government officials last
Wednesday Levon Martirosyan, an MP with the ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (RPA), spoke about the lack of progress in the sphere
of sports where despite the presence of a nominally non-partisan
minister the major role appears to be still played by the leader of
the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), Gagik Tsarukyan, who is also the
head of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia (NOCA).
The PAP has criticized the government in recent months after refusing
to form a new coalition with the RPA and withdrawing its ministers
from the government following the May parliamentary elections.
Tsarukyan, however, did not resign as the NOCA president. The former
world arm-wrestling champion instead personally promised hefty bonuses
to athletes who would win gold medals at last summer's Olympic Games
in London. Contrary to expectations, most Armenian athletes performed
below average, with Team Armenia earning only one silver and two
bronze medals.
More than three dozen current and former athletes, including Olympic
champions Albert Azaryan, Oksen Mirzoyan, Israel Militosyan, Arsen
Nazaryan and others signed an open letter late last week protesting
the criticism from MP Martirosyan and taking it as a "disrespectful
ridicule" of the sporting community.
"Sportsmen and sportswomen are members of one large sporting family
and they uphold the honor of Armenia in the world. It is due to these
sportsmen and sportswomen that the national anthem of our Homeland
has repeatedly been played on foreign soil and it is due to their
merits that the national flag of Armenia has been raised even in
such hostile countries as Turkey and Azerbaijan," said the letter,
in turn, calling MP Martirosyan's "only merit" his being a brother
of popular entertainer Garik Martirosyan, who has made a name for
himself on Russian television in recent years.
"It is outrageous that a person who has absolutely nothing to do
with sports raises questions about sports," the authors of the letter
concluded.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Aravot daily Martirosyan defended his
integrity and right of being critical, while denying any disrespectful
attitude towards the community of athletes.
"Kudos to the athletes who have won medals. But this is a different
matter... I was simply reacting to the answer of the minister, because
he insisted on progress being made in the sphere he is in charge of.
As a member of parliament and a huge sport fan myself I couldn't
but disagree with it and this is my opinion," explained Martirosyan,
voicing doubts that those who had signed the letter even heard his
speech in the National Assembly.
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have written such a thing," he added.
PAP and RPA representatives have not yet made public comments on the
matter that some view as another dimension of growing differences
in the relations between the two former allies that are increasingly
positioning themselves on the opposing sides of the political fence
ahead of next year's presidential ballot.
PAP lawmakers did not attend the Q&A session in question after
deciding to boycott the rest of last week's four-day proceedings
of the legislature following a controversial vote in the National
Assembly on Tuesday that lifted the parliamentary immunity of PAP
member and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian, who
currently faces prosecution on embezzlement charges.