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 ' ...

sent a delegation to compete at the

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...

in Lillehammer,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

from 12–27 February 1994. This was Armenia's first time competing at the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

as an independent nation. The Armenian delegation consisted of two

bobsledders Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

, the Armenian-Americans Ken Topalian and Joe Almasian. They competed as a team in the two-man competition, where they finished in 36th place.

Background

Armenia became an independent nation again following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The

National Olympic Committee of Armenia The Armenian Olympic Committee (ARMNOC) ( hy, Հայաստանի ազգային օլիմպիական կոմիտե, translit=Hayastani Olimpiakan Komite) is responsible for Armenia's participation in the Olympic Games. It is headquartered in Yerev ...

was recognized by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

on 31 December 1992. The Lillehammer games were Armenia's first as an independent nation, they have gone on to participate in every Summer and

Winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultur ...

Olympics since. The 1994 Winter Olympics were held from 12–27 February 1994, a total of 1,737 athletes took part, representing 67

National Olympic Committees A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Gam ...

. The Armenian delegation to Lillehammer consisted of two

, Ken Topalian and Joe Almasian.

Bobsleigh

Ken Topalian was 30 years old at the time of the Lillehammer Games, and is from

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Fal ...

. Joe Almasian was 26 years old at the time, and was born in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a pop ...

. They were friends through the Armenian Youth League, neither had ever been to Armenia. The two-man bobsleigh competition was held over two days, 19–20 February, with two runs being held on each day; the sum of all four run times was used to determine final placement. On the first day, the Armenian sled posted times of 54.85 seconds and 55.03 seconds. Overnight, they were in 37th place out of 43 competing teams. The next day, their run times were 54.92 seconds and 55.01 seconds This made their total time for the competition 3 minutes and 39.81 seconds, which put them in 36th position. The gold and silver medals were won by Swiss sleds, and the bronze was taken by an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

team.

References

{{Country at games navbox, Armenia, Olympics 1994 in Armenian sport Nations at the 1994 Winter Olympics

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...