Wrestling (, ) has deep historical roots in Armenia. Wrestling was practiced in the Armenian Highlands since ancient times. Armenians have their own variant of the sport called Kokh. It was recorded that King Tiridates III of Armenia won the Ancient Olympic Games in wrestling in 281 AD. During the Soviet era, wrestling became one of the most practiced sports in Armenia and remained popular after Armenia's independence in 1991. Armenian athletes have been successful at international competitions in the last two decades. Many have become World and European champions, both in Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling. Over half of the fifteen Armenian Olympic medalists and the two gold medal winners have been wrestlers. The sport is overseen by the Wrestling Federation of Armenia.
History
Ancient history At the 265th Olympiad (281 AD) the Armenian King Tiridates III (286–342 AD), who in 301 AD adopted Christianity as the state religion, making Armenia the first Christian nation, became an Olympic Champion in wrestling.
Kokh Kokh () is the Armenian national wrestling, known since the Early Middle Ages. It's considered to be one of the oldest forms of wrestling. It had influenced the Soviet martial sport Sambo.
The winner is the one who throws the opponent on the mat without boosting and/or turning him. Pushing the opponent out of the mat, which has a radius of 7–9 meters, also results in winning. A Kokh fight usually lasts from 5 to 10 minutes. The Kokh fights are often accompanied with Armenian folk music and before the beginning of a fight wrestlers do folk dances.
Two varieties of Kokh are Lori Kokh and Shirak Kokh. The main difference between two styles is between the clothing. In Shirak Kokh, wrestlers wear shalvar pants and are topless and were allowed to grab the legs of the opponent. In Lori Kokh, they wear chokha (traditional Caucasian costume) and have to grab the opponent's dress to throw or push them out. Until the late 1980s, Kokh was practiced in rural areas of Armenia, although no professional Kokh athletes existed. Today, about 700 children in Armenia practice Kokh.
Soviet period Sports in general and wrestling, particularly, became popular in Armenia in the 1920s and 1930s, but it wasn't until the end of the World War II, when Armenian and Soviet athletes started to appear on international competitions. Sargis Vardanyan became the Soviet champion of Greco-Roman wrestling twice, in 1940 and 1944. In later years, Armenian Greco-Roman wrestlers had significant role in Soviet wrestling. Notable ones included Ruben Karapetyan (1969 first junior world champion), Artem Teryan (First wrestling Olympic medalist), Suren Nalbandyan (1976 Olympic champion), Sanasar Oganisyan (1980 Olympic champion), Norayr Musheghian (1958 World Champion), Benur Pashayan (1982 and 1983 World Champion), Levon Julfalakyan (1986 World Champion), Mnatsakan Iskandaryan (1990, 1991, 1994 World Champion).
Independent Armenia The Federation of Freestyle Wrestling of Armenia and the Federation of Greco-Roman Wrestling Federation were founded in 1992 and were merged in 1996 forming the Wrestling Federation of Armenia. It is the national governing body of the sport in the country. According to Razmik Stepanyan, secretary of the Armenian Olympic Committee, as of 2009, there were 25 wrestling schools in 10 provinces of Armenia, 304 coaches and 7,454 athletes practicing wrestling.
In 2021, government statistics showed 7,800 wrestlers in Armenia, including 4,000 in freestyle wrestling and 3,800 Greco-Roman wrestling. There were over 700 coaches and trainers in both. A little more than 1,000 people practiced Sambo and 126 practiced Kokh.
Records
Olympics
9 of the 18 Olympic medals of Armenia are from wrestling. Games Athlete Style and weight Position 1996 Atlanta Greco-Roman 52 kg 1996 Atlanta Freestyle 48 kg 2008 Beijing Greco-Roman 55 kg 2008 Beijing Greco-Roman 120 kg 2012 London Greco-Roman 74 kg 2012 London Greco-Roman 96 kg 2016 Rio Greco-Roman 66 kg 2016 Rio Greco-Roman 98 kg 2020 Tokyo Greco-Roman 97 kg 2024 Paris Greco-Roman 97 kg 2024 Paris Greco-Roman 77 kg
World Championships
Greco-Roman Year Athlete Weight Position 1993 Stockholm 52 kg 1993 Stockholm 57 kg 1995 Prague 52 kg 1995 Prague 62 kg 1997 Wrocław 54 kg 2001 Patras 58 kg 2001 Patras 63 kg 2007 Baku 120 kg 2009 Herning 55 kg 2010 Moscow 55 kg 2010 Moscow 74 kg 2010 Moscow 120 kg 2011 Istanbul 74 kg 2013 Budapest 55 kg 2013 Budapest 74 kg 2013 Budapest 96 kg 2014 Tashkent 75 kg 2014 Tashkent 98 kg 2015 Las Vegas 98 kg 2017 Paris 80 kg 2017 Paris 98 kg 2018 Budapest 82 kg 2018 Budapest 87 kg 2019 Nur-Sultan 63 kg 2019 Nur-Sultan 97 kg 2021 Oslo 72 kg 2022 Belgrade 97 kg 2022 Belgrade 77 kg 2023 Belgrade 77 kg 2023 Belgrade 97 kg
Freestyle Year Athlete Weight Position 1995 Atlanta 48 kg 1995 Atlanta 68 kg 1997 Krasnoyarsk 69 kg 1998 Tehran 69 kg 2002 Tehran 60 kg 2005 Budapest 60 kg 2006 Guangzhou 120 kg 2013 Budapest 66 kg 2017 Paris 97 kg 2017 Paris 125 kg 2021 Oslo 61 kg 2022 Belgrade 61 kg 2023 Belgrade 57 kg 2023 Belgrade 65 kg 2023 Belgrade 70 kg
European Championships
Greco-Roman Year Athlete Weight Position 1994 Athens Armen Nazaryan 52 kg 1994 Athens Aghasi Manukyan 62 kg 1995 Besançon Armen Nazaryan 52 kg 1995 Besançon Aghasi Manukyan 57 kg 1996 Budapest Armen Nazaryan 52 kg 1996 Budapest Mkhitar Manukyan 62 kg 1997 Kouvola Karen Mnatsakanyan 58 kg 1999 Sofia Karen Mnatsakanyan 58 kg 2000 Moscow Movses Karapetyan 69 kg 2001 Istanbul Movses Karapetyan 69 kg 2003 Belgrade Roman Amoyan 55 kg 2003 Belgrade Levon Geghamyan 84 kg 2004 Haparanda Vahan Juharyan 60 kg 2005 Varna Roman Amoyan 55 kg 2005 Varna Movses Karapetyan 74 kg 2006 Moscow Roman Amoyan 55 kg 2006 Moscow Karen Mnatsakanyan 60 kg 2006 Moscow Denis Forov 84 kg 2008 Tampere Roman Amoyan 55 kg 2008 Tampere Yury Patrikeyev 120 kg 2009 Vilnius Arsen Julfalakyan 74 kg 2009 Vilnius Yury Patrikeyev 120 kg 2011 Dortmund Roman Amoyan 55 kg 2011 Dortmund Artur Shahinyan 84 kg 2011 Dortmund Artur Aleksanyan 96 kg 2011 Dortmund Yury Patrikeyev 96 kg 2012 Belgrade Arsen Julfalakyan 74 kg 2012 Belgrade Artur Aleksanyan 96 kg 2012 Belgrade Yury Patrikeyev 120 kg 2013 Tbilisi Artur Aleksanyan 96 kg 2013 Tbilisi Vachik Yeghiazaryan 120 kg 2013 Tbilisi Artur Shahinyan 84 kg 2014 Vantaa Arsen Julfalakyan 75 kg 2014 Vantaa Artur Aleksanyan 98 kg 2016 Riga Varsham Boranyan 71 kg 2016 Riga Roman Amoyan 59 kg 2016 Riga Karapet Chalyan 75 kg 2016 Riga Artur Aleksanyan 98 kg 2017 Novi Sad Artur Aleksanyan 98 kg 2018 Kaspiysk Karen Aslanyan 67 kg 2018 Kaspiysk Maksim Manukyan 82 kg 2018 Kaspiysk Artur Aleksanyan 97 kg 2019 Bucharest Karen Aslanyan 67 kg 2019 Bucharest Arsen Julfalakyan 77 kg 2020 Rome Gevorg Gharibyan 60 kg 2020 Rome Karen Aslanyan 67 kg 2020 Rome Karapet Chalyan 77 kg 2020 Rome Artur Aleksanyan 97 kg 2021 Warsaw Rudik Mkrtchyan 55 kg 2021 Warsaw Slavik Galstyan 67 kg 2021 Warsaw Malkhas Amoyan 72 kg 2022 Budapest Rudik Mkrtchyan 55 kg 2022 Budapest Gevorg Gharibyan 60 kg 2022 Budapest Slavik Galstyan 67 kg 2022 Budapest Malkhas Amoyan 77 kg 2022 Budapest Malkhas Amoyan 77 kg 2023 Zagreb Hrachya Poghosyan 63 kg 2023 Zagreb Malkhas Amoyan 77 kg 2023 Zagreb Artur Aleksanyan 97 kg 2024 Bucharest Manvel Khachatryan 55 kg 2024 Bucharest Malkhas Amoyan 77 kg 2024 Bucharest Artur Aleksanyan 97 kg 2025 Bratislava Karen Aslanyan 63 kg 2025 Bratislava Malkhas Amoyan 77 kg 2026 Tirana Suren Aghajanyan 60 kg 2026 Tirana Karen Aslanyan 63 kg 2026 Tirana Slavik Galstyan 67 kg 2026 Tirana Gaspar Terteryan 72 kg 2026 Tirana Malkhas Amoyan 77 kg
Freestyle Year Athlete Weight Position 1993 Istanbul Arayik Gevorgyan 68 kg 1994 Rome Armen Mkrtchyan 48 kg 1994 Rome Anushavan Sahakyan 57 kg 1994 Rome Araik Baghdadyan 62 kg 1994 Rome Arayik Gevorgyan 68 kg 1995 Fribourg Arayik Gevorgyan 68 kg 1996 Budapest Armen Mkrtchyan 48 kg 1996 Budapest Arayik Gevorgyan 68 kg 1997 Warsaw Arayik Gevorgyan 69 kg 1998 Bratislava Arayik Gevorgyan 76 kg 2001 Budapest Armen Mkrtchyan 54 kg 2003 Riga Mahmed Aghaev 84 kg 2004 Ankara Martin Berberyan 55 kg 2006 Moscow Ruslan Kokaev 74 kg 2006 Moscow Vadim Laliev 84 kg 2006 Moscow Shamil Gitinov 96 kg 2007 Sofia Shamil Gitinov 96 kg 2009 Vilnius Zhirayr Hovhannisyan 66 kg 2009 Vilnius Edgar Yenokyan 96 kg 2009 Vilnius Ruslan Basiev 120 kg 2011 Dortmund Musa Murtazaliev 74 kg 2012 Belgrade David Safaryan 66 kg 2013 Tbilisi David Safaryan 66 kg 2013 Tbilisi Musa Murtazaliev 84 kg 2014 Vantaa Garik Barseghyan 57 kg 2021 Skopje Razmik Papikyan 61 kg 2014 Vantaa Musa Murtazaliev 86 kg 2017 Novi Sad Valodya Frangulyan 61 kg 2017 Novi Sad Grigor Grigoryan 74 kg 2017 Novi Sad Levan Berianidze 125 kg 2019 Bucharest Arsen Harutyunyan 61 kg 2020 Rome Arsen Harutyunyan 61 kg 2021 Warsaw Arman Andreasyan 70 kg 2022 Budapest Manvel Khndzrtsyan 57 kg 2022 Budapest Arsen Harutyunyan 61 kg 2022 Budapest Arman Andreasyan 70 kg 2023 Zagreb Arsen Harutyunyan 61 kg 2023 Zagreb Vazgen Tevanyan 65 kg 2024 Bucharest Arsen Harutyunyan 57 kg 2024 Bucharest Mezhlum Mezhlumyan 61 kg 2024 Bucharest Arman Andreasyan 70 kg 2025 Bratislava Arsen Harutyunyan 61 kg 2025 Bratislava Vazgen Tevanyan 65 kg 2025 Bratislava Arman Andreasyan 70 kg 2026 Tirana Manvel Khndzrtsyan 57 kg 2026 Tirana Arsen Harutyunyan 61 kg 2026 Tirana Vazgen Tevanyan 65 kg
European Championships (Women) Year Athlete Style and weight Position 2006 Moscow Karine Shadoyan Freestyle 72 kg
World Cup
Year Position Style Member athletes 2009 Clermont-Ferrand Greco-Roman 2010 Yerevan Greco-Roman 55 kg: Roman Amoyan & Harutyun Hovhannisyan60 kg: Artak Harutyunyan & Vahan Juharyan66 kg: Arman Adikyan & Hovhannes Varderesyan74 kg: Varsham Boranyan & Arsen Julfalakyan 84 kg: Denis Forov & Tigran Sahakyan96 kg: Arman Geghamyan & Sargis Tonoyan120 kg: Yury Patrikeyev & Vachik Yeghiazaryan
See also
Mas-Wrestling Federation of Armenia
References