The "RA Prime Minister's Cup" school swimming tournament was held for the first time in the swimming pool of Tsaghkadzor General Sports Complex with 128 schoolchildren from the regions of the Republic of Armenia and Yerevan participating in the final round.

RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, RA ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreyasyan, Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, and other officials attended the competition.

The teams from the regions of Armenia and Yerevan participated in the final stage: the team for each age category consists of 4 boys and 4 girls. In this round, participants from the first and second age groups competed in the 8x50 meter and 8x100 meter relay and freestyle events, respectively, in a mixed team (4 girls and 4 boys).

In the competition for grades 3–6, the Yerevan team was declared the winner, the Shirak team achieved the second-best result, and schoolchildren from Kotayk rounded out the top three. The award ceremony for this age category was carried out by the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Arayik Harutyunyan, ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan, and the Minister of Health, Anahit Avanesyan.

In the competition for grades 7-12, the members of Yerevan team were the first to cross the finish line, the Shirak team took second place, and the Lori team made it to the third place.The awards for this age group were presented by RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Over 1,040 school children participated in the tournament, 710 of which were from the regions.

After the award ceremony, the Prime Minister delivered a speech, congratulated the winners and addressed the importance of providing the necessary infrastructure in the regions. As he stated, there is a political decision to build swimming pools of at least 25 meters in all consolidated communities.

The Head of State expressed hope that the "Prime Minister's Cup" swimming tournament would provide a new impetus for students engaged in swimming, encouraging them to strive for higher achievements in international tournaments.

In reference to "Armenia's Transformation Strategy 2050", Nikol Pashinyan stated that the sports sector aims to secure 25 Olympic gold medals by 2050.

"I hope that at least one of those gold medals will be in swimming, and we should all strive towards that goal," the Prime Minister added.

Welcoming those in attendance and congratulating them on the organization of the tournament, ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan noted that tournaments held among schoolchildren in various sports have significant potential.

"When we were talking about this tournament, I didn't think that more than a thousand children would participate in the preliminary rounds. I am sure that this is not yet its full potential, and with the opening of each new pool, the number of children will increase. And the construction of new swimming pools is beyond doubt," said Zhanna Andreasyan, reminding that the first phase of the program to develop model sports complexes in cooperation with the private sector is currently underway in the Ararat, Vayots Dzor, and Gegharkunik regions of the Republic of Armenia. Swimming pool is one of the important components of those complexes.

As stated by the ESCS Minister, over 20,000 schoolchildren have already participated in the "RA Prime Minister's Cup" tournaments in various sports. Zhanna Andreasyan noted that this number is higher than in previous years, but there is definitely potential for growth.

"We should strive to ensure that every child engages in some form of sport and becomes part of such environments. These are important platforms not only for sports, but also for making new friends and for developing fighting spirit, resilience, and willpower," said the ESCS Minister, thanking the teachers and coaches for their significant contribution in supporting the children's participation.

As part of the event, President of the "Armenian Swimming Federation" NGO, Hovsep Mesropyan, Head of the Tsaghkadzor General Sports Complex, Vardan Zakaryan and President of the "Armenian Synchronized Swimming Federation", Margarita Ghazaryan were awarded certificates of appreciation and souvenirs. The award was presented by ESCS Deputy Minister Hasmik Avagyan.

At the final stage of the tournament, the teams that took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in each age group will be awarded with certificates, cups, souvenir medals, and cash prizes of the corresponding category of the ESCS Ministry

The total monetary prize of the teams will be distributed proportionally among the schools of the national team members to improve the school's sports infrastructure or acquire sports equipment.

The first-place team will be awarded 4 million AMD, the second-place team - 2.5 million AMD, and the third-place team - 1.5 million AMD. Prize-winning students will also receive cash prizes. Each of the eight first-place participants will receive 150,000 AMD, while second-place winners will receive 100,000 AMD each, and third-place winners - 75,000 AMD each. An award is also intended for the team leaders—coaches or physical education teachers: The awards are as follows: 150,000 AMD for first place, 100,000 AMD for second place, and 75,000 AMD for third place.