‘If I become a world champion, I will dedicate my victory to my deceased brother’: Artsakh children resume karate training in Yerevan

Children and teenagers forcibly displaced from Artsakh who attended the Kyokushinkai Karate center in Stepanakert can now continue training in Yerevan for free.

It has been several days since Artsakh children resumed karate training in the gym of special school No. 17 on Moldovakan Street in Yerevan. They were brought together under one roof by the co-founder of the Artsakh Kyokushinkai Karate Federation, honored coach Armen Petrosyan.

“The Artsakh Kyokushinkai Karate Federation in Armenia will operate as a separate unit. I have set both a sporting and non-sporting goal. I will try to unite Artsakh children through karate and also preserve our dialect. During training, I explain the exercises exclusively in the Artsakh dialect,” Armen Petrosyan told Alpha News.

To resume the activities of the federation in Armenia, the honored coach of Artsakh appealed to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, but, as Armen Petrosyan said, the answer of the government department was: “If you are from Karabakh, you do not have the right to hold a position.”

His letters for assistance addressed to others also remained unanswered, and then Armen opened a club with the support of friends. The coach received permission to train in the gym of Yerevan Special School No. 17 through the mediation of the head of the administrative district of Nor Nork, Tigran Ter-Margaryan. However, Artsakh children need equipment and sportswear; everyone who wants to can help buy them.

In Yerevan, not only Armen Petrosyan’s former students from Stepanakert but also those who were forcibly displaced from other regions of Artsakh joined his club. According to the coach, there are many people who want to participate.

Arman Babayan from Stepanakert resumed classes in Yerevan to fulfill the wish of his deceased brother.

“My brother, who also practiced karate, died in a gas station blast. I decided to continue training because he always said that I need to train hard and become a world champion. If I become a world champion, I will dedicate my victory to my brother, Arthur,” said Arman.