YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. In his album-monography entitled "Armenian Sports and Gymnastics in the Ottoman Empire", Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan presents the activities of Armenian sport clubs in the Ottoman Empire, the history of the organization of pan-Armenian Olympic Games and the athletic movement in Western Armenia and Cilicia, as well as the foundation of women's gymnastic clubs, the start of Armenian scout movement, and the Armenian sportsmen who fell victim to the Armenian Genocide. Addressing the first pages of the history of Armenian sports and gymnastics in the Ottoman Empire, H. Demoyan writes about the first Armenian sport clubs and football teams formed in Constantinople and Smyrna after the Young Turk Revolution. These clubs were represented by such professionals as Shavarsh Chrisian, Mkrtich Mkrian, Grigor Hakobian and others. "On seeing the success of Armenian sportsmen, the Turkish nationalists tried to struggle against sport achievements of minorities. They had some cause for concern because the first successful football teams in both Constantinople and Smyrna were Armenian teams. Besides, it was Armenians, namely Vahram Papazian and Mkrtich Mkrian, that first represented Turkey at the V Olympiad held in Stockholm in 1912. The first sport magazine published in the Ottoman Empire was "Marmnamarz" periodical in Armenian (1911-1914), so "the Turk nationalists started to fight in practice: first of all, all the Armenian sport clubs were closed, then Shavarsh Chrisian, the editor of Marmnamarz who did a great deal to stir up interest in sports among the Armenian population, fell victim to their violence," H. Demoyan writes. On the eve of World War I, there were about 40 Armenian athletic clubs in Constantinople. Armenian football teams participated in team and national tournaments, which mostly ended in their wins. The most famous teams were Balta Liman, Arax and Tork. Armenian sport clubs were established in other cities as well. The author dedicated the album to the memory of those pioneers who initiated the cause of promoting national sports and athletics and became victims of the Genocide.

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