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Due to historical and political reasons, only a small portion of Armenian athletes and athletes of Armenian descent have competed for Armenia. Armenian kings Tiridates III and Varazdat were recorded as champions in the Ancient Olympic Games. The first Armenians to participate in modern Olympics were Mkrtich Mkryan and Vahram Papazyan from the Ottoman Empire. Both competed in athletics at the 1912 Stockholm Games. The first Armenian to win a medal was Hal Haig Prieste, a son of Armenian immigrants, who won a bronze medal in diving at the 1920 Antwerp Games for the United States. Soviet Armenian gymnast Hrant Shahinyan became the first Armenian gold medalist of the modern Olympics in 1952.
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From 1952 to 1988, most Armenian athletes represented the Soviet Union. Although Armenia became an independent state in 1991, during the 1992 Barcelona Games Armenia and other former Soviet states (except the Baltic states) were part of the Unified Team. The National Olympic Committee of Armenia was founded in 1990 and became an International Olympic Committee member in 1993. Since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, the Republic of Armenia participates separately, but still some Armenian athletes compete under foreign flags, including athletes who migrated because of the economic crisis in the country in 1990s.
Ancient Olympic Games
One of the most prominent Armenian kings, Tiridates III, who is best known for adopting Christianity as Armenia's state religion in 301, became a champion in wrestling in the 265th Olympics in 281 at age 22-23.
King of Armenia Varazdat (Varasdates) from the Arshakuni dynasty, who reigned between 374 and 378, is the last known champion of the Ancient Olympic Games. He became a champion in fisticuffs at the 291st Olympic Games in 385 A.D., seven years after leaving the Armenian throne.
Disqualified athletes
Armenian coaches of non-Armenian Olympic medalists