"THE KING OF THE RINGS" TURNS 80
Noyan Tapan
Feb 11, 2009
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. A jubilee event dedicated to
Armenia’s best sportsman of the 20th century, gymnast Albert Azarian
will be held at A. Spendiarian National Academical Theatre of Opera
and Ballet on February 17.
Albert Azarian who celebrates his 80th birthday on February 11 is
the only sportsman of Armenian descent who became an Olympic champion
three times (1956 Melbourne; 1960 Rome twice). The famous gymnast won
49 gold, 42 silver and 10 bronze medals at Olympic Games, as well as
world, European and USSR championships. He was awarded USSR’s Order
of the Red Banner of Labor and an Order "Sign of Honor", a gold order
of the IOC, a Movses Khorenatsi medal.
He is an honored coach and worker of sports and physical culture of
Armenia, an honored master of sports of the USSR, and an honorary
citizen of Yerevan.
The School of Gymnastics of the Yerevan Municipality was named after A.
Azarian. He is the Honorary President of the National Olympic
Committee of Armenia and the President of the Republican Federation
of Gymnastics. Of his 4 children, Eduard was an Olympic champion in
Moscow (1980). His wife Yelizaveta Azarian is also a former gymnast
and an honored coach.
The fantastic exercises performed by him on the rings during the
world championship in Rome in 1954 were called "the Azarian Cross"
by the International Federation of Gymnastics, while Albert Azarian
was called "the King of the Rings".
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
