"ARMENIAN SPORT IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE" EXHIBITION IN THE MUSEUM OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
AZG Armenian Daily
02/09/2008
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
An exhibition under heading "Armenian sport in the Ottoman Empire"
opens September 2 in Yerevan at the hall of temporary exhibitions of
the Museum-Institute of the Armenian Genocide.
The exhibition includes 70 photos, documents, papers and magazines
that present the history of the Armenian sport-clubs and football
teams in the Ottoman Empire before 1915.
According to the notification of the Museum, the Armenian sport-clubs
and sportsmen made a significant contribution to the development of
sport in the Ottoman Empire; there were 100 sport-clubs in the Empire
before 1915.
In 1911-1914 Armenian Olympic Games were held in Costandnupolis.
Sport newspaper "Marmnamarz" was published in those years,
editor-in-chief – Shavarsh Krisian. It was the first sport newspaper
of the Ottoman Empire.
In summer of 1912, two Armenian sportsmen Vahram Papazian and Mkrtich
Mkoyan participated in the 5th Olympics in Stockholm presenting the
Ottoman Empire first time at the Olympic Games.
>From 1915 to 1920, most of the Armenian sportsmen fell victim to the
Armenian Genocide. Most of the Armenian sport-clubs stopped to exist.