Armenia’s freestyle wrestling team’s coach Arayik Baghdadyan summed up the passing year and spoke about 2016 programs.

-Mr Baghdadyan, please, sum up the 2015 year? What achievements and gaps have you had this year?

-Compared to the previous year, I’m not so pleased with freestyle wrestlers’ performances. But it has it’s explanation, first the injuries, then the recovery phase, the first European Games in Baku which affected our athletes psychologically. We had 6 athletes there and 4 of them lost because of unfair judgment. At the World Championship we expected both medals and 2-3 qualifications but the guys didn’t live up our hopes and came out worse than expected. Now we have one qualification from Levan Berianidze in 125kg weight class. After the World Championship we have joined in a number of international competitions such as World Clubs Championship where Armenia’s representative “Tashir” came 4^th. The guys showed a good performance. In December our wrestlers Garik Barseghyan and Davit Safaryan took part in Nusuyev tournament and Safaryan won. As for Davit he is slowly returning to the winner’s mentality.

-As you noted the freestyle wrestling team has only one qualification for the Olympics, how many qualifications can we still expect?

 -I hope to obtain two more qualifications. If we have 3 participants of the Olympics with this line-up, it will be a success

-Please, tell about the traditional, year-end training camp.

- This training camp is aimed at the general physical preparedness. There will be 4 trainings in the ring. 55 wrestlers are taking part in it. This is the first year that adults’ freestyle wrestling team trains on skis. Up to the last day of the camp they will train on skis every morning.

-Mr Baghdadyan, how are you going to start the 2016? 

-On January 4 we are going to hold another training camp in Yerevan, then on January 15-17 the numbers 3-4 of the team will leave for Iran to Takhti Cup while the front runners will stay here and continue to train for the European Championship and other qualifiers. From January 30 the wrestlers will travel to Ukraine to a training camp, afterwards they will take part in a big international competition to be organized in Kiev. And only then it will be clear who will take part in the European Championship and who in qualifiers.

The photos of Armenia’s freestyle wrestlers’ training camp are here.

ANOC press office