The saddest page in the history of Armenian sport is karate. You will not say it in other words perhaps, because the Armenian Karate has gone through a hard and thorny path. It will be enough to mention that the interval between the first and the second republic championships lasted for ten years.
I have lived my life parallel to the development of the history of the Armenian Karate starting from the very beginning till today. I have been the witness both of the success and failure of the Armenian athletes. I have been proud of them each time they became cup-holders and medal winners in various countries of the world, thus becoming the honor and glory of our fatherland.
I have yearned a lot for our best athletes and coaches who have been killed during the liberation movement of Artsakh /David Sarapyan, Armen Misakyan/, but I also realized that this is the codex of "Busido" and there are no two ways about it.
And being the last of the Mohican of the Armenian Karate of all times, I have to write the history myself and try to remember all those who had a hand in the development of the history of the Armenian Karate.
Karate martial art came to Armenia at the beginning of 70-s when karate was just being popularized in the Soviet Union. In those years the first groups of Armenian Karate were formed by a group of Armenian devotees, such as Gurgen Martirosyan / Pargev Bishop Martirosyan, the head of Artsakh see of the Armenian Apostolic church/, Avet Demuryan, Gagik Khachatryan, Stepan Safaryan, Samvel Meliksetyan, me, Grigor Mikhayelyan and others.
In the years of 1976-77 the Armenian sportsmen got their first trainings in Kiev for exchanging experience with the national team and its trainer Oleg Trusov who is now the honorable president of the Kievan Karate Federation.
The close Karate Championship for the first time was organized in the year of 1978 in the secondary school after Dzerzhinsky in which almost all karate teams participated.
In the year of 1979 "The Armenian National Karate-do Federation" was established by order of the president of Physical Education and Sport Committee, adjacent to RA Government, which was taking the first steps to propagandize, control and coordinate the sport in the republic. In the same year by order of the president of Sport Committee of the USSR the Soviet Karate Federation organized a five-year all-union trainer courses in which the trainers who had been sent on mission by the national federations of Soviet Republics participated.
The following Armenian trainers participated in the above mentioned courses:
G. Khachatryan, A. Buniatyan, R. Vagharshakyan, R. Khinamidze, G. Hekimyan, R. Partevyan and me G. Mikhayelyan.
In the year of 1979 the Armenian athletes participated in the first All-union Championship which took place in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. The following athletes were involved in the team, such as S. Hayrapetyan, R. Partevyan, N. Nazaryan, S. Meliksetyan, D. Mehrabyan, R. Vagharshakyan and me, G. Mikhayelyan.
In the same year the Armenian team participated in the Union Championship in Makhachkala.
In the year of 1980 the Armenian athletes participated in the second Union Championship in Leningrad.
In the year of 1981 the Armenian National Karate team participated in the first Union Championship in Tashkent and in the first USSR Kata Championship in Minsk.
In the year of 1981 with the initiative of the Republican Sport Committee the first official Armenian Championship was organized which later contributed to the popularization of the Karate sport in the Republic.
In the year of 1982 several decrees were promulgated by the USSR Council of Ministers, according to which everyone who dared to train karate would be subject to criminal liability. This decree resulted in the prohibition of karate sport in the area of USSR, and this decree lasted till the tear of 1988, thus causing a lot of damage to all the Republican Karate Federations.
In the year of 1988 a number of devotees turn to the Physical Education and Sport Committee, adjacent to RA to form a National Karate Federation.
With the help and support of the National Olympic Committee and with the immediate initiative of H. Yavryan, the director of administrative services of Sport Committee, a joint session was hold in which the following representatives of karate sport participated from all the territories of the Republic:
R. Mkrtchyan, V. Gevorgyan, R. Vagharshakyan, R. Partevyan, V. Petrosyan, V. Butunc, G. Epremyan, R. Sahakyan, A. Hovsepyan, S. Hayrapetyan and others.
After a long interval for the second time "The National Karatedo Federation" was formed, and Grigor Mikhayelyan was elected as the president of that Federation.
In the year of 1991 the Armenian National Karate Team participated in the "Fourth USSR Championship" in Doni Rostov, which remained in the history of Soviet Karate as the last championship.
In the same year G. Mikhayelyan the president of the Federation officially addresses to the World and European "WUKO" and "EKU" Unions expressing willingness to affiliate The Armenian National Karatedo Federation to these two international Institutions.
And finally, the dreams of thousands of Armenian athletes to be involved in the family of the World and European International Karate Institutions, become a full and equal member, represent Armenia in official international championships, came true.
In the year of 1992 on the invitation of the president of the Armenian Karate Federation Shams Eddi Sufanati the senior trainer of the National Karate Team of Syria, arrived in Armenia, in the head of which the first international seminar for getting technical qualification took place in the main sport complex in Tsakhkadzor.
In the year of 1993 The Armenian National Karate Team left for Algeria to participate in the World Karate Championship for the first time.
In the year of 1994 the Armenian athletes left for Malaysia, to participate in the next World Karate Championship.
In the same year, taking into account the fact, that the World /WUKO/ and European /EKU/ changes their names corresponding to the World /WKF/ and European /EKF/ Karate Federations, the National Federation also changed its name into"The Armenian Karate Federation"/AKF/.
In the year of 1995 The Armenian National Team participated in the European and World Championships in Finland and Germany correspondingly.
In the year of 1996 The Armenian National Team left for Hungary to participate in "The Karate World Cup for Children and Cadets", where the Armenian cadet team became the World Champion.
In the same year an official representative of the International Karate Association, master of karate Shihan Mark Grigoryan, was sent to Yerevan on business, and in his own initiative the /IKA-ARMENIA/ branch was formed in the Armenian Karate Federation.
In the year of 1997 the /IKA-ARMENIA/ signed for the International Karate Association, the head of which was the legendary master, 10th dan Soke Takayuki Kubota.
In the year of 1997 the Armenian athletes participated in"The Cadet and Junior World Championship" in Bulgaria.
In the years of 1998-99 the Armenian team left for France to participate in the International Open Championships.
Starting from the year of 2000 the Armenian athletes started participating in the European, World and "Karate All Stars" Championships as well, which are organized by the International Karate Association.
In the same year the Armenian team was invited to the city of Los- Angeles, USA where for the first time participated in "The 10th Kubota Cup Karate Championship" and became a world cup-holder.
In the years of 2001-2002 the Armenian team arrived in the USA again, to participate in "The 37th and 38th All Karate Stars International Championships" where the Armenian athletes became champions and were awarded with gold medals.
In the year of 2003 the Armenian athletes left for the city of Toronto, Canada to participate in "The 11th World Kubota Championship" where they won and became World cup champions for the second time.
In the year of 2004 the Armenian team again left for the USA to participate in "The 40th All Stars Karate International Championship" and took gold medals.
In the year of 2005 the Armenian team left for the city of Kagliari, Italy for participating in "The 12th World Kubota Cup Championship" where they won for the third time thus becoming thrice cup-holders of the world.
In the same year the Armenian athletes left for Cyprus where they take part in "The Cadet and Junior World Championship".
In the year of 2007 the Armenian athletes left for the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina to participate in "The 13th World Kubota Cup Karate Championship". The Armenian team again won in this championship both in individual and team categories thus becoming World Cup Champion for already the forth time.
In December of 2007 the Armenian athletes left for the city of Warsaw, Poland to participate in "The 1st Kubota Karate European Championship" where they again won and became Champions of Europe.
In the year of 2008 the Armenian team left for the USA again where they participated in "The 44th International All Karate Stars Championship" and won gold medals.
In November of the same year the Armenian athletes for the first time in the history of Armenian Karate left for the city of Tokyo, Japan to participate in "The 19th World Karate Championship".
FYI: The Armenian athletes starting from the year of 1996 till the year of 2008 in the International, World and European Championships won: 38 gold cups, 6 silver cups, 123 gold, 53 silver and 25 bronze medals /see the table/.
Nowadays, The Armenian Karate Federation is considered to be the only official organization which has the authority to present Armenia in the official World Karate and European Championships.
The AKF is affiliated to the Armenian National Olympic Committee, collaborates with the Ministry of Sport, is included in the RA Government Program of " Public Support to the National Federations".
The Republic Shotokan, Shitoryu, Gojuryu and Wadoryu Karate Federations operating within the area of Armenia and being officially recognized by the WKF, various branch organizations, clubs and groups are considered to be members of the AKF.
The AKF operates through the executive committee, referee, and trainer, technical, organizational, medical and disciplinary councils.
The AKF organizes and carries out Republic Championships, referee and trainer qualification courses, as well as referee-trainer examinations for getting professional qualification degrees. Today karate sport is considered to be the most popular sport in Armenia. Thousands of Armenian children and adults develop into a more strong body thanks to their hard trainings and strict discipline.
The results of the Armenian National Karate Team in the International Karate Championships
| Year | The name of the International Championship | Gold Cup | Silver Cup | Gold Medal | Silver Medal | Bronze Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The 6th Children and Cadets World CupChampionship, Hungary, Mishkolts | 2 | - | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1997 | The 7th Children and Cadets World Cup Championship, Hungary, Mishkolts | 3 | - | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 1998 | The 8th Children and Cadets World Cup Championship, Hungary, Mishkolts | 2 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | International Karate Championship, Iran, Tehran | - | 1 | - | 8 | 2 |
| 2000 | The 10th World Cup Karate Championship, Los-Angeles, USA | 13 | 2 | 13 | 2 | - |
| 2001 | The 37th All Stars Karate International Championship,USA | - | - | 11 | - | - |
| 2002 | The 38th All Stars Karate International Championship,USA | - | - | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 2003 | The 11th World Cup Karate Championship. Canada, Toronto | 12 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 1 |
| 2004 | The 40th All Stars Karate International Championship, USA | - | - | 20 | 8 | 5 |
| 2005 | The 12th World Cup Karate Championship, Italy, Sardinia | 4 | 1 | 23 | 11 | 5 |
| 2007 | The 13th World Cup Karate Championship, Argentina | 1 | - | 15 | 8 | 3 |
| 2007 | The IKA Karate European Cup Championship, Poland, Warsaw | 1 | - | 4 | 2 | - |
| 2008 | The 44th All Stars Karate International Championship,USA | - | - | 13 | 6 | 2 |
| |
Total | 38 | 6 | 123 | 53 | 25 |
In the end I would like to express my gratitude to all those who had a share in the development of the history of the Armenian Karate.
They are:
Hrachya Harutyunyan - Honorable president of the AKF
Pargev Archbishop Martirosyan - Honorable president of the ASHKF
Mark Grigoryan - Official representative of the IKA
Garik Karapetyan - Honorable member of the AKF
Nerses Nazaryan - Honorable member of the AKF
Grisha Hayrapetov- Honorable member of the AKF
Harutyun Khachatryan - Honorable member of the AKF
Simon Poghosyan - Honorable member of the AKF
Karen Avetisyan - Honorable member of the AKF
Ashot Mkrtchyan - Honorable member of the AKF
Harutyun Yavryan - Honorable member of the AKF
Karen Stepanyan - Honorable member of the AKF
Senik Gevorgyan - Honorable member of the AKF
Maksim Hakobyan - Honorable member of the AKF
Ralf Yirikyan - Honorable member of the AKF
Avik Demuryan - Honorable member of the AKF
Valeri Petrosyan - Member of the AKF
Rafael Mkrtchyan - Member of the AKF
Ashot Mkhoyan - Member of the AKF
Grigor Harutyunyan - Member of the AKF
Levon Ghukasyan - Member of the AKF
Grigor Mikhayelyan
President of the Armanian Karate Federation
Shihan, 7th dan, Doctor of Martial Arts
Academician of Natural Sciences of the International Academy
