Sargsyan Resigns Following Scandal Over “Azerbaijan” Inscription

Gagik Sargsyan, President of the Armenian Skiing and Snowboard Federation, has announced his resignation. He shared the news on his Facebook page.

According to Sargsyan, the decision was not an easy one, but he considered it inevitable. He cited the lack of a favorable working environment and collective will necessary for the development of skiing in the country as the main reason. He emphasized that it is impossible to develop this sport relying solely on the efforts of the federation or its president.

Sargsyan also accused Armenia’s Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of inaction, noting that numerous appeals from the federation regarding key issues had gone unanswered. In addition, he stated that he intends to continue his professional career in “another country.”

The resignation comes amid a scandal involving Armenian skier Mikael Mikaelyan. On December 31, during a World Cup stage and as part of the Tour de Ski in Italy, the athlete covered the word Azerbaijan on his competition suit before entering the старт area. Competition organizers considered this a violation of regulations due to the alteration of official sponsor branding and imposed a fine on the athlete, though no disqualification was applied.

Earlier, Gagik Sargsyan stated that the Armenian Ski Federation would fully cover the fine, expressing full support for the athlete’s actions. In January, Sargsyan also published correspondence with the ministry in which he refused to provide explanations for the incident, stating that the skier’s action required no clarification.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports subsequently sent an official request to the federation asking for explanations. In response, the federation once again expressed its support for Mikaelyan.

Commenting on the situation at a press conference, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan stated that sport should remain outside of politics.

“Sport should be about sport. It is important that during competitions we follow the principles of fairness and integrity as much as possible. Our federation will provide an explanation regarding this incident, after which we will discuss our next steps,” Andreasyan said.

Following this, Gagik Sargsyan officially announced that he was stepping down as President of the Armenian Ski Federation.

It should be recalled that Armenian skier Mikael Mikaelyan, alpine skier Gleb Movsesov, as well as two female athletes, are expected to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, which will begin on February 7.