Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the official opening ceremony of the European Senior Shooting Championship, which is being held in the Republic of Armenia for the first time, at the K. Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex.

The event was also attended by the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister Arayik Harutyunyan, representatives of legislative and executive bodies, President of the International Shooting Sport Federation Luciano Rossi, President of the European Shooting Confederation Alexander Ratner, President of the Armenian Shooting Federation Artur Hovhannisyan, representatives of the diplomatic corps, and guests.

Within the framework of the event, the Prime Minister made a speech, welcoming everyone to the Republic of Armenia. “The European Senior Shooting Championship is being held in our country for the first time, and we are glad to welcome 450 athletes and coaches from 40 countries, as well as 150 official representatives of federations and other organizations to the championship.

70 sets of medals will be awarded during the championship, and I am sure that many of those present will leave here with gold, silver, bronze medals, as well as pleasant memories of the Republic of Armenia and this festival of sports.

We welcome this championship with pleasure and are happy to note that the Republic of Armenia is becoming a regular venue for European and World Championships,” noted Nikol Pashinyan.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that at least at the moment there has not been a championship in Armenia that would leave any negative residue behind, which means that in the near future there will be new opportunities to meet in various championships: European and World.

"Of course, I am sure that these championships will give a new impetus to the development of international sports in general and the development of these sports in the Republic of Armenia.

I welcome you all, welcome to the Republic of Armenia, and I wish you all victory. I am very happy for those who will win in the Republic of Armenia this time. I am sure that those who will not win here and those that will be more consistent in pursuing their goal, will definitely win in one of the upcoming championships. I wish you all accurate shooting,” the Prime Minister concluded his speech.

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The championship will be held from February 27 to March 5. The competitions will start on March 1. Each exercise will have a qualifying and final round. Armenia is participating in the championship with 26 athletes.

Ahead of the championship, extensive and systematic preparatory work was carried out so that Armenia could host the participants at the proper level. An interdepartmental commission was formed, which coordinated the entire process. In order to properly hold the European Senior Shooting Championship, a number of works were carried out with state support for the development of the sport and infrastructure, in cooperation with the federation.

The state has allocated about 500 million drams for the organization of the championship, which also includes the acquisition of relevant property. In particular, the necessary property has been acquired, including targets and other specialized equipment, which will then be directed to the development of this sport in our country.

The development of the sports sector is a state priority and commitment. Sport funding has more than quadrupled compared to 2018. In 2026, the allocation to the sector will reach about 15 billion drams, which testifies to the Government's strategic approach to sports. The effectiveness of the Government's policy of holding major international tournaments in Armenia has already been proven by the positive experience of international sports tournaments organized in previous years. Next year, Armenia will host the World Weightlifting Championships, as well as the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships.