Van Nuys : Armenian Olympics Not Just for Medals

Ani Taherian has won more Olympic gold medals in the past five days than speed skater Bonnie Blair did in a lifetime.

But the 13-year-old girl from Santa Clara was competing in the lesser-known 20th Annual Navasartian Games--also called the Armenian Olympics--with more than 2,000 athletes between the ages of 8 and 40 from California, Utah and even Toronto and London.

“It’s not really a big thing,” Taherian said of her six first-place finishes in track and field this year. “Even when racing against your own friend, you still cheer them on because we’re like one big family.”

Gathering on a track field at Birmingham High School on Tuesday, thousands of Armenian Americans watched the Navasartian Games’ closing ceremonies climax in patriotic fashion as two people carrying Armenian and American flags used ropes to climb down from a hovering helicopter.

The Armenian Olympics are considered by some to be the pinnacle of athletic achievement for Armenian youths in the United States. The competition can be traced back about 2,000 years to a summer sports festival held in their homeland.

Sponsored by a nonprofit, nationwide group known as Homenetmen, the Armenian version of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the Navasartian Games attract athletes in basketball, track and field, swimming, volleyball and other sports who say they practice all year hoping to reach the finals.

“Armenians are fun-loving people, and we’re always looking for a reason to have fun,” said Garo Ispendjian, a member of the Homenetmen’s executive board. “People began to realize the importance of maintaining the Armenian culture and keeping kids involved. Besides church, there are not many events for bringing people together.”