“Winter Sports Are Treated Like Orphans”: Armenian Skiing Faces Crisis Before Olympics

The President of the Armenian Ski Federation, Gagik Sargsyan, has spoken in detail about the serious difficulties facing Armenian skiing as the country prepares for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan. According to him, the federation is working without state support while dealing with long-standing structural and financial problems that continue to limit the development of winter sports in Armenia.

“From the very beginning, unequal conditions are set between summer and winter sports, and it is said that funding will increase if we show results. But how is it possible to increase funding with an equal approach when the conditions are unequal? In reality, they are not going to increase it, because in our case it is not possible to achieve results.”

Sargsyan explained that the gap between summer and winter sports begins at the basic level. While summer sports in Armenia have hundreds of sports schools, winter sports have only two. One operates in Gyumri and the other in Tsaghkadzor. In his view, such conditions make it unrealistic to speak seriously about long-term development in skiing.

“If summer sports in Armenia have hundreds of sports schools, winter sports have only two—one in Gyumri and one in Tsaghkadzor. In such conditions, talking about the development of skiing is in the realm of fantasy.”

Despite these limitations, Armenia continues to produce strong athletes. Sargsyan pointed to Ashotsk as an example of a region where talented children and coaches work in very difficult conditions but still compete with top international athletes and often achieve strong results. Mikael Mikaelyan and his brother Sergey both come from Ashotsk and have become symbols of pride for Armenian sports. The need to establish a sports school in Ashotsk, he said, has been raised many times but remains unresolved.

Looking ahead to Milan 2026, the next Winter Olympic Games will take place in February 2026, and official information about participation quotas will be published on January 19. The International Ski Federation has introduced a policy that ensures equal participation between men and women at the Games.

“The International Ski Federation has introduced an interesting policy: women and men will participate in the Games in equal numbers.”

In cross-country skiing, 296 athletes will compete, and Armenia is expected to have at least one female and one male representative. In alpine skiing, 153 women and 153 men will take part, with at least one Armenian athlete expected to qualify.

In cross-country skiing, qualification is based on a national ranking system. Countries earn their Olympic spots based on the results of athletes who compete in World Cup stages. Sargsyan said Armenia’s progress in this system has been limited by financial difficulties, which made it impossible to participate in all required competitions and earn higher rankings.

“Unfortunately, due to serious financial problems, we were unable to take part in all stages and achieve better results.”

Even so, Armenia currently ranks 33rd among about 70 countries in the national ranking table. This position allows the country to secure at least two Olympic quotas. Sargsyan credited this result to the dedication of the coaching staff, Artur and Alla Mikaelyan, and the athletes Katya Galstyan, Mikael Mikaelyan, and Spartak Voskanyan.

“But honor and praise to our coaches (Artur and Alla Mikaelyan) and our athletes (Katya Galstyan, Mikael Mikaelyan, Spartak Voskanyan), thanks to whom, among about 70 countries, we are ranked 33rd in the national ranking table.”

Katya Galstyan’s situation remains uncertain. She was not allowed to take part in the most recent competitions because she could not participate in all ranking events and continues to lose points. The federation plans to send her to a ranking competition in Poland in the coming days in an effort to improve her standing.

“We are trying to save the situation by sending her in a few days to a ranking competition in Poland.”

Although this competition is officially included in the list of programs allocated to the federation by the state, funding has still not been received. The federation hopes the issue will be resolved in time to help Galstyan secure her Olympic quota.

In alpine skiing, Armenia has two athletes, Gleb Mosesov and Harutyun Harutyunyan. Mosesov has already secured his place at the Games thanks to his strong ranking, while Harutyunyan continues to compete in international tournaments in an effort to qualify.

Sargsyan also described the federation’s attempts to secure funding for Olympic preparation. One year after the last Winter Games, the federation received a draft expenditure program from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. The goal was to understand whether special funds would be allocated for Winter Olympic preparation, similar to the additional support provided ahead of the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

After contacting the ministry, the federation learned that the government decided to allocate funds starting three years before the 2028 Summer Games, covering both athletes and support staff. Winter sports, however, were not included in this decision, and no explanation was provided.

“We never received any explanation as to why winter sports were not included in that program.”

Sargsyan said he supports investment in summer sports but expressed deep frustration that repeated appeals on behalf of winter sports have produced no results. He described the working conditions faced by winter athletes and coaches as extremely harsh and said they often feel forgotten.

“I apologize to all my friends, athletes, and those who have been working for years in the coldest and most inhumane conditions, but the impression is that winter sports in Armenia have the status of orphans.”

As a result of the lack of state funding, no resources were allocated for preparation for the 2026 Games. This prevented the federation from fully implementing its program and limited the number of Olympic quotas Armenia could secure.

“No funding at all was provided for preparation for the 2026 Games, as a result of which we were unable to implement our program and did not reach the number of quotas we expected.”

The only financial assistance the federation has received came from the Armenian National Olympic Committee through the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity program. These funds, combined with the federation’s own limited resources, are being used carefully to ensure Armenia will still be represented at the Games.

In conclusion, Sargsyan pointed to the historic importance of the upcoming Olympics for Armenian skiing. Katya Galstyan is preparing for her fourth Olympic Games, a record achievement for Armenian women in any sport. Mikael Mikaelyan is preparing for his third Olympic appearance.

“Katya Galstyan is preparing for her fourth Olympic Games, which is unprecedented for Armenia—no female representative of any sport has achieved such a result before.”

Sargsyan said the dedication of the athletes and their coaches deserves respect. Despite years of hardship, limited funding, and unequal conditions, they have continued to represent Armenia with honor and have made the country visible on the world skiing map.

“Under the leadership of their coaches, they have made Armenia visible on the world skiing map, and thanks to their dedication, they will represent Armenia at the 2026 Olympic Games.”

—

Support independent reporting from the region by subscribing to The Armenian Report. Our team is funded solely by readers like you.