Iran and Armenia have agreed to a friendly match in Yerevan on August 11, the Armenian Football Federation reports. The game is scheduled to kick off at 9 pm local time. It will be the first time that the two neighboring countries have meet in a friendly match.

Iran is preparing for the Asian Cup in January 2011 in Qatar where they have been grouped with defending champions Iraq, Korea DPR and the UAE. Armenia will have to engage in the qualification for the Euro 2012 where they will face Russia, Slovakia, Ireland, Macedonia and Andorra.

The International Chess Federation has just come out with its list of the top 100 chess players in the world. Levon Aronian comes in at 5th  place, 47 points behind, top world player Magnus Karlseni from Norway.

Vladimir Hakobyan comes in at 44th place and Gabriel Sargsyan in 61st. Sergei Movsesyan, who represents Slovakia, earned a 23 ranking.

Ashot Mkhitaryan from Gyumri, the senior coach of the Armenian National Weightlifting team, died of a heart attack at Zvartnots International Airport on the night of 23 May, as he was waiting to greet the Armenian Youth Weightlifting team upon their return from Valensia.  He was 51 years old.

He had been leading the Armenian National Weightlifting team since 2006, including the team’s achievement of three bronze medals at the Beijing Olympic Games.  »»»»»

On May 14, Armenia’s basketball championship will get underway at 3pm at the Mika Sports Complex. Six of the top mens and womens teams will battle it out for four play-off spots.

Participating in the mens division are Hatis, Gyumri, Artsakh, Polytechnic, Malatya and Etchmiadzin. The womens teams are Hatis, Grand Candy, Gyumri Pedagogical Institute, Artsakh and Erebuni.

Besides sportsmen from various countries, representatives of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic participated in the April 11 international race competitions in the French city of Medon (near Paris).

According to the information of the NKR Permanent Mission to France, the Artsakh athlete, Arthur Petrosian, who was among the 700 participants, won the 10-kilometer race competition. Another athlete from the NKR, Ashot Hayrapetian, won the 5-kilometer race competition, reports NKR MFA Press Service.

Mher Avanesyan, representing Armenia, came in 36th out of 50 entrants in the Men’s Slalom (Standing) event at the Paralympics now underway in Vancouver, Canada.

Flagbearer, Gayane Usnyan of Armenia leads her team through the stadium at the opening ceremonies. Local Armenians have also come out to support the Armenian athletes.

Last minute sponsors finance team’s trip to Canada

By a stroke of pure luck and dogged determination, a five member Armenian delegation leaves Yerevan today headed for Vancouver, Canada, to participate in the 2010 Paralympics. The games will host 1,000 disabled athletes from 40 nations. »»»»»

An evening reception to honor the four young athletes who represented Armenia in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics took place at St. Vardan’s Armenian Church in Vancouver, Canada.

Two hundred people showed up to congratulate the athletes – Kristineh Khachatryan, Ani-Matilda Seribrakyan, Sergei Mikayelyan and Arsen Nersisyan. Arman Hakobyan, Armenia’s Acting Ambassador to Canda, was on hand to officiate at the ceremony and he thanked the four young athletes for displaying a truly competitive spirit and performing to the best of their abilities. Ambassador Hakobyan awarded each a letter of commendation in the name of the RoA Embassy.

Roger Hagopian will present his documentary film, “Destination Watertown-The Armenians of Hood Rubber”, on Monday, March 1, at the St. James Armenian Church in Watertown, MA.

In his film, Mr. Hagopian tells the story of the Hood Rubber Company, which opened in 1896, and was a magnet for many Armenian immigrant laborers fleeing Hamidian Massacres of 1894-1896 in the Ottoman Empire and the 1915 Genocide. »»»»»

When reporters asked Armenian Football Federation President Rouben Hayrapetyan how he felt after the 2-0 loss to Turkey, he replied “bad”.Mr. Hayrapetyan, responding to a question posed by “Hetq”, said that, “There must be an infusion of good players for the Armenian national squad to compete effectively in the future. We must see to it that new, young players come up from the ranks.” »»»»»

Vercihan Zifiloglu, a Turkish-Armenian who writes for Hurriyet, today reports that RoA President Serzh Sargsyan handpicked the 20 journalists who will travel with him to Bursa to watch the football match between the national teams of Armenia and Turkey. President Sargsyan is expected to arrive in Bursa around 4 p.m. local time.

She states in her article that sources claim that journalists of Armenian origin from the world’s leading media organizations tried to acquire accreditation for the match in Bursa through the Turkish embassies in their countries but were unsuccessful as a result of complications with the Turkish Football Federation. »»»»»

The national football team of Armenia, presently in last place in Group 5 World Cup Round 1 qualifiers, will play the national squad of Turkey in a match to be held in Bursa (9 p.m. local, 11 p.m. Yerevan time).

Turkey beat Armenia 2-0 in their opening match on September 6, 2008. This signalled the start of the much ballyhooed “football diplomacy” when Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan invited Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Armenia to watch the match. President Sargsyan has said that he will be traveling to Turkey to support the Armenian side. »»»»»

On 18th July 2009 the Armenian College boys defeated Kolkata Police 22-5 in the division- I match of the Calcutta Cup Rugby Tournament, held at the CC&FC grounds. It was a day of great jubilation and pride for the Armenian community in Kolkata.

It was the first match of the season played by the Armenian College boys. Played during the monsoon this game has been integral to the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy adding feathers to its cap with every victory.