Armenian Sport in the Ottoman Empire refers to
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
n Sport in the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.
The history of the development of Armenian sport and gymnastics in the Ottoman Empire began by the end of 19th century, when the first athletic clubs and societies were established. Under the rule of the Sultan, being engaged in sports or athletics was strictly forbidden and those who broke this law were punished.
First Clubs
After the coup d'état of
Young Turks in 1908, the first Armenian athletic clubs and football teams were formed in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
and
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
.
In 1911–1914, four Armenian Olympic Games were held in Constantinople.
From 1911 to 1914, Shavarsh Chrisyan published the ''
Marmnamarz'' sports magazine. It was the first sports periodical in the Ottoman Empire . Its name ''Marmnamarz'' meant sport in Armenian.
For the first time in the history of Turkish Olympic Games, two Armenian sportsmen--
Vahram Papazyan and
Mkrtich Mkryan represented Ottoman Turkey in the
Fifth International Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912. In 1915–1920, many Armenian sportsmen became victims of the
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Lat ...
and most of the Armenian sports clubs were shut down.
Before The Great War
On the eve of World War I there were about 40 Armenian athletic clubs in Constantinople. Armenian football teams took part in team and international tournaments of several leagues in the capital. The most famous football teams were “Balta Liman”, “Araks” and “Torq”. The most famous team of Smyrna was “Hay Vorsordats Club” (“The Armenian Hunters’ club"). Armenian sport clubs were established also in Smyrna (İzmir),
Nicomedia
Nicomedia (; el, Νικομήδεια, ''Nikomedeia''; modern İzmit) was an ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey. In 286, Nicomedia became the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire (chosen by the emperor Diocleti ...
(İzmit),
Karin (Erzurum),
Marzvan (Merzifon),
Samson
Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...
,
Adana
Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million.
Adana lies in the heart of Cilicia, wh ...
,
Van,
Caesarea (Kayseri),
Dortyol (Dörtyol),
Trapizon (Trabzon),
Konya
Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it ...
etc.
In 1911-1914 the Pan-Armenian Olympic Games were organized with the participation of tens of Armenian sport and athletic clubs and societies. During the Games records were held and the winners were awarded with silver medals. In 1914, Armenia also held the first “Cilician Olympic Games”.
Many Armenian sportsmen fell victims to the Armenian genocide. Among them was
Shavarsh Krissian
Shavarsh Krissian (22 July 1886 – 15 August 1915) was an athlete, writer, publicist, journalist, educator, and editor of '' Marmnamarz'', the first sports magazine of the Ottoman Empire. He is considered one of the founders of the Armenian Olym ...
, the editor of ''Marmnamarz'', and after it the publication of the magazine was stopped.
References
External links
THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM-INSTITUTE - Armenian Sport in the Ottoman EmpirePanorama.am - The role of Armenian Sport in Ottoman EmpirePUBLIC RADIO OF ARMENIA - Display of the history of Armenian sport in Turkey to be held at the Genocide InstituteTHE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM-INSTITUTE - An illustrated book published by AGMI - “Armenian Sport and Gymnastics in the Ottoman Empire”
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armenian Sport in the Ottoman Empire
Sport in Armenia
Ottoman period in Armenia
Sport in the Ottoman Empire