in 2024 Varazdat Lalayan, vice-champion of the Paris Olympic Games, was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the Republic of Armenia. The Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia Zhanna Andreasyan also participated in the meeting.
The title of Honored Master of Sports is awarded only to Olympic champions, prize winners and world champions.
Minister Zhanna Andreasyan congratulated Varazdat Lalayan for his recent successes and moments of pride.
"You deservedly won the title of world champion. This is the result of hard work and I congratulate you. It is a special pride when the anthem of our country is played and the flag of Armenia is raised." - said Zhanna Andreasyan and thanked for the efforts and work done throughout the year.
The Minister of Sports Education also informed that many changes have been made in the selection of the best of the year in the field of sports. :
"We have already started the voting, and the fans are quite active. This is the reaction of the public to the large-scale work of the athletes, which is very important," said Zhanna Andreasyan.
Weightlifter Varazdat Lalayan expressed his gratitude for the words of appreciation. The 25-year-old weightlifter emphasized that it is a great honor for him to be the first Armenian weightlifter to win the title of heavyweight champion. "I was able to give moments of joy to the Armenian nation, for which I am very proud. This was really a long-awaited achievement for me. The fight was very difficult, but I am glad that I finally managed to bring the gold of the world championship Armenia," said Varazdat Lalayan and informed that the upcoming plans are related to the European Championship to be held in Moldova in April 2025.
During the meeting, issues related to the development of weightlifting in Armenia, problems in the field, improvement of training conditions and infrastructure in Gyumri were also discussed.
