By Sareen Habeshian
The opening ceremony of the seventh Pan-Armenian Games took place on August 6 at Stepanakert Republican Stadium in Nagorno Karabakh. For the first time in its 20 year history, the opening and a portion of the games took place in Karabakh.
The ceremony began with the rising of the Armenian and Karabakh national flags. About 5,300 athletes from 35 countries and 161 cities paraded around the stadium, representing their communities. The largest team participating in the games is the Yerevan team with 373 athletes.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also spoke at the opening ceremony.
“We have come together to record that we have a history, that we have an identity, that we have statehood,” Pashinyan said.
Three days of competitions will be held in Stepanakert, while the rest of the games will commence in Yerevan from August 9 to 17.
The competitions include badminton, arm-wrestling, basketball, golf, tennis, swimming, beach volleyball, handball, cycling, shooting, futzal, chess, table tennis, sports dances, volleyball and football. In total, there are 13 women’s events and 14 men’s.
The 7th Pan-Armenian Games will conclude on August 17, with a closing ceremony in Yerevan’s Freedom Square.
Read More: Seventh Pan-Armenian Games to Commence in Karabakh