SINGAPORE
EMBRACES ARMENIAN NATIONAL OLYMPIC TEAM
-----Armenians
experience the amazing wonders of Singapore and strengthen Armenian
positive contributions to Singapore----
Dateline:
Singapore, September 16, 2010
The
Singapore community warmly embraced the Armenian National Olympic
Team at the first-ever Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore
from August 14 to 26. The Armenian team experienced the amazing
wonders of Singapore and strengthened Armenian positive contributions
to Singapore.
The
Armenian delegation and the Singapore-Armenian Development Council
give their warmest appreciation to all those who contributed to
make this event such a wonderful success, including the International
Olympic Committee, as well as the Singapore Youth Olympic Games
Organising Committee, Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore’s
National Heritage Board, and National Parks Singapore. The Council
also thanks those foreign embassies that expressed support including
the United States, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic
of India, the United Arab Emirates, and the Republic of Armenia.
A
spokesperson for the Council congratulated all members of the
Armenian team and offered them the Council’s assistance
in strengthening their positive contributions to Singapore. Pierre
Hennes, a member of the Council, said “Singapore welcomed
the Armenian delegation with open arms, making them feel like
family, and showed them the many reasons for the amazing Singapore
success.”
“The
Council is committed to assisting Armenians worldwide to contribute
to Singapore on a scale that would make our ancestors proud. The
Council has three-year goals for Armenians’ contributions
to Singapore and expects to meet or exceed those KPIs,”
commented Paul B. Kazarian, Chairman of the Charles & Agnes
Kazarian Foundation, a founding member of the Council.
The
Singapore-Armenian Development Council organized several events
with the goal of having the Armenians experience the amazing wonders
of Singapore and strengthen Armenian positive contributions to
Singapore. The Armenians visited a number of landmarks representing
the positive Armenian historical contributions to Singapore, including
Armenian Street, a main street in Central Singapore; the Straits
Times, Singapore’s national daily newspaper, founded by
Armenians; and, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where they viewed
the Singapore national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim, named after
its Armenian founder Agnes Joaquim. The Team also visited the
Armenian Apostolic Church of St Gregory the Illuminator, the oldest
Christian church in Singapore. Built in 1835, the Church will
be host to a series of events to be held in March 2011 in celebration
of its 175th Anniversary. For more information on the anniversary
celebrations, visit: www.armeniansinasia.org/175-years/.
To
strengthen Armenian positive contributions to Singapore, the Singapore-Armenian
Development Council organized visits to the Lee Kuan Yew School
of Public Policy at the National School of Singapore, the Singapore
Science Park, and Singapore Management University, as well as
meetings with global entrepreneurs and business leaders interested
in expanding trade relations with Armenia and its Diaspora.
Under
the auspices of the Games, the Mayflower Secondary School in Singapore
organized an Armenian cultural week and the medal winning athletes
visited the school and students. Also, the Council organized an
impressive community dinner reception honoring the Armenian Olympic
delegation.
In
total, the Armenian delegation totaled 29 members. The Armenian
team won one silver medal (Gor Minasyan, weightlifting 85+kg)
and 3 bronze medals (Smbat Margaryan, weightlifting 56kg; Artak
Hovhannisyan, freestyle wrestling 46kg; and Davit Ghazaryan, judo
66kg).
The
Republic of Armenia is located at the crossroads of Asia and Europe;
north of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Black Sea, and west
of the Caspian Sea. There are approximately eight million Armenians
worldwide, with three million in the Republic of Armenia. Armenians,
throughout history, have been highly regarded as positive global
citizens for their creativity and global commerce. Today, they
are also known for their innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.
To
view related pictures and videos of the events, or to learn more
about Armenian communities in Asia, visit: www.armeniansinasia.org
and internet links noted in attached list.
Also,
to read more about Armenians Junior Olympians who participated
in the Singapore Youth Olympic Games see attached list.
About
Singapore-Armenian Development Council: The Council was established
in 2009 to strengthen the Armenian community in Singapore and
promote commerce between Singapore, the Republic of Armenia, and
the Armenian Diaspora through initiatives that inspire creativity
and innovation in these communities. The Council is committed
to assisting Armenians worldwide to contribute to Singapore on
a scale that exceeds top global benchmarks. The Council has three-year
goals for Armenians’ contributions to Singapore and measures
its success through several key performance indicators.
About
The Charles & Agnes Kazarian Foundation: The Kazarian Foundation,
an affiliate of Japonica Partners, seeks to empower great aspiration
in the whole human family. The Kazarian Foundation's mission is
guided by the knowledge contained in “New Philanthropy Benchmarking:
Wisdom for the Passionate”, especially the principle that
the social sector can achieve transformative change by cultivating
intense positive competition among its stakeholders. The Kazarian
Foundation seeks to empower families through economic development,
education, and technology initiatives. The Kazarian Foundation
has approximately 100 professionals globally.
For
more information contact:
Pierre
Hennes
Vahagn Vardanyan
communities@armeniansinasia.org
www.armeniansinasia.org
Christopher
Magarian
The Charles & Agnes Kazarian Foundation
cmagarian@kazarianfoundation.org
www.kazarianfoundation.org
SINGAPORE-ARMENIAN DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
_______________________________________________________________________
ATTACHMENT
A
Armenian Delegation: In total, the Armenian delegation of 29 people
includes Deputy Minister of Culture, Sport, and Youth Affairs
Mr. Samvel Khachatryan, Deputy Chairman of National Olympic Committee
of Armenia Mr. Derenik Gabrielyan, Secretary-General of National
Olympic Committee of Armenia Mr. Hrachya Rostomyan, 14 athletes
representing 12 sports (12 boys and 2 girls), coaches, and technical
personnel. The sports represented are: weightlifting (b, 85+kg),
Greco-Roman wrestling (b, 85kg), freestyle wrestling (b, 46kg),
swimming (b, g), diving (b), gymnastics (b), athletics (g), archery
(b), judo (b, 66kg), boxing (b, 60kg), canoe-kayak (b), and shooting
(b).
Links to photographs:
Armenian Youth Olympics Team at the Raffles Hotel: http://armeniansinasia.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/2010-08-27-singapore-yog-1.jpg
Armenian Youth Olympics Team inside Armenian Church:
http://armeniansinasia.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/2010-08-27-singapore-yog-2.jpg
Armenian Youth Olympics Team outside Armenian Church: http://armeniansinasia.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/2010-08-27-singapore-yog-3.jpg
Links
to videos:
Video montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSNcWJSJiwc
Photo montage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3ubS-h__9Q
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