The first medalists of the 2nd Pan-Armenian Winter Games have been announced.
Several tournaments, including cross-country skiing, snowball fights, chess, and dance sports, have kicked off in Jermuk.
The first medals were awarded in the skiing competition. In the men’s freestyle cross-country event, the gold medal went to Mikayel Mikayelyan, a two-time Olympian from Ashotsk, representing the Armenian national team. Spartak Voskanian took silver, while Tadevos Poghosyan, also from Ashotsk, won bronze, Armenpress reports.
In the women’s freestyle event, Katya Galstyan, a multiple-time Armenian champion from Ashotsk, won gold. Vaselina Khachatourian from Sochi secured silver, while Roza Simonyan from Gyumri claimed bronze.
The chess tournament, which began on February 2 and will conclude on the 6th, has the widest geographical representation at the Games.
A total of 210 chess players from various regions of Armenia, cities across Russia, and European countries are participating. There are no age restrictions, and the tournament follows a rapid chess format, consisting of nine rounds.
The first Pan-Armenian Winter Games were held in 2014. This year, 1,348 athletes from 18 countries and 88 cities are competing. For comparison, the inaugural games in Tsaghkadzor hosted 430 participants from 22 cities across 11 countries.
The competition program includes hockey, cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, chess, snowball fights, and dance sports. Some events, including snowboarding, alpine skiing, and hockey, will take place in Aparan and Yerevan.
