The “Armenian Olympic House” officially opened in Paris today, ahead of the 33rd Summer Olympics Paris 2024.

President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan, ESCS Deputy Minister Karen Giloyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to France Hasmik Tolmajyan, Honorary Consul Denis Djorkaeff, Armenian Olympic team members, a number of representatives of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia, the Armenian General Benevolent Union and the sports world attended the event.

The face of the “Olympic House of Armenia’ is world football champion Youri Djorkaeff.

Welcoming those present, RA President Vahagn Khachaturyan expressed gratitude to the athletes of the Armenian national team, thanks to whom we have the opportunity to represent our country at the 33rd Olympic Games.

“There is only one expectation: to see the RA flag raised, to see triumphant and joyful smiles,” said Vahagn Khachaturyan and wished success to the athletes participating in the Olympic Games.

The President of the Republic of Armenia also emphasized the significance of the Government's high priority for physical culture and sports, particularly in the direction of mass sports advancement. To this end, amateur competitions known as the “Cup of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia” are held annually in five different sports.

Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan congratulated on the opening of the “Olympic House of Armenia”: “I am hopeful that by August 11 we will have many occasions to honor our athletes here. I hope that after the Olympic Games we will promise to build at least four new sports schools in Armenia in honor of our Olympians”

Arayik Harutyunyan observed that the RA Government has made a commitment to provide as much support as possible for sports and Armenian athletes in recent years: financial resources are allocated to the field on an annual basis, major sports championships are held in Armenia, and new sports schools are constructed to develop infrastructures. Arayik Harutyunyan emphasized that Armenia will host the Francophonie Sports and Cultural Games 2027, ready to host about 6,000 athletes from all over the world. In this regard, learning from the French experience is also important.

RA Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Karen Giloyan presented the specifics of the “Armenian Olympic House” initiative.

“For us, France is a friendly and Armenian-populated country. The objective of the “Armenian Olympic House” is to strengthen ties between fans and athletes. You will meet folks here who feel and aspire to be Armenian. The day following their competitions, the athletes will visit the “Armenian Olympic House”, where they will speak with media, fans, and members of the Armenian community, and the fans will also have the opportunity to watch the athletes' performances live on a large screen on the spot,” introduced the Deputy Minister.

Karen Giloyan said that the initiative is implemented in collaboration with “Fastex”, “UNIBANK” and “UCOM” companies, and thanked for the support.

“The state, of course, pays great attention to sport, allocates a lot of money, yet, sport cannot develop just on state funding, we need individuals who will either love sports or the country. Love for sport and country are almost synonyms. The shortest and easiest way to make a country famous is to achieve victories through sports. The “Armenian House” will operate in the building of the Armenian General Benevolent Union, for which we are also grateful to our partners in the AGBU,” said the Deputy Minister.

The “Armenian Olympic House” will operate in the building of the Armenian General Benevolent Union at 118 Rue, Courcelles 75017, Paris. The “Armenian House” will be open every day from 15:00 to 23:00. Visitors can meet well-known athletes, watch the Olympic competitions together, and buy paraphernalia to support Armenian athletes at stadiums during these hours.