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The first ever goalball championship in Armenia was held, with six Armenian teams, including one from Nagorno Karabakh , participating. Yerevan, Armenia. 17/11/2009.

Head of the European Commission Delegation in Armenia Ambassador Raul de Luzenberger expressed his appreciation and support to the organizers by his attendance to the games of the championship. 

Goalball is a team sport designed for blind athletes. It was devised by Hanz Lorenzen (Austria), and Sepp Reindle (Germany), in 1946 in an effort to help in the rehabilitation of visually impaired World War II veterans. Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that  bells embedded in the opponents' goal. They must use the sound of the bell to judge the position and movement of the ball. Games consist of two 10 minute halves. Blindfolds allow partially sighted players to compete on an equal footing with blind players.

The sport evolved into a competitive game over the next few decades and was a demonstration event at the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto. The sport's first world championship was held in Austria in 1978 and goalball became a full part of the Paralympics from the 1980 Summer  Paralympics in Arnhem onwards. 

Photographer: Sedrak Mkrtchyan/ PanARMENIAN Photo

Sports

First Goalball Championship in Armenia

The first ever goalball championship in Armenia was held, with six Armenian teams, including one from Nagorno Karabakh , participating. Yerevan,...

by PanARMENIAN Photo in Armenia on 17/11/2009

After seven years of renovation the Cascade – a former Soviet monument in the center of Yerevan - has been completely transformed into one of the world’s outstanding contemporary art centers. Yerevan, Armenia. 8/11/2009.


 Virtually every aspect of this 13,000 square meter monument has been transformed, and it now houses a Visitor Center, Museum Store, Special Events Auditorium and over 1,100 square meters of exhibition space. The center bears the name of its principal benefactor Gerard L. Cafesjian. 

The official opening ceremony of the arts center took place on November 8, 2009. President of Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and the Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II visited the museum before its opening for the public.

The visitors of the center could enjoy the art of one of the finest glass makers in the world Stanislav Libenský (1921–2002) and Jaroslava Brychtová, whose works were represented in “For Armenia” exhibition. 

There was a unique opportunity for Beatles lovers - meeting with Cynthia Lennon and Pattie Boyd - former wives of John Lennon and George Harrison, which shared the stage for the first time and lent intimate insight into their husbands’ extraordinary lives and music.

Most of the gallery displays belong to Gerard Cafesjian’s private collection. One of them is an eclectic collection ranging from a 28-foot model of a ship upon which Mr. Cafesjian served in the Pacific during World War II, to a rare 1906 Model N Ford Runabout, and a working model of a Wabash steam locomotive. 

Another impressive gallery was specially constructed for large-scale glass work, exhibiting an installation of Swarovski “Light Socks” by the well-known New York architectural studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Photographers: Sedrak Mkrtchyan & Davit Hakobyan/ PanARMENIAN Photo

Arts & Entertainment

Opening of New Contemporary Art Center in Yerevan

After seven years of renovation the Cascade – a former Soviet monument in the center of Yerevan - has been completely transformed into one of the...

by PanARMENIAN Photo in Armenia on 08/11/2009

   Margara is the closest village to the Armenian-Turkish border. There are currently 1500 people living there. 
   The main occupation of the dwellers is agriculture and the village seems to be forgotten by the whole world. 
    However, after the recent activity concerning the opening of the border, the costs of the near border  
    houses are already rising, as more and more people express interest in buying land there. 

In 1980, before the Olympic Games, the Soviet Union built a customs-house near Margara’s bridge, which was there to accommodate Turkish sportsmen. The bridge was built in 1961 over the Arax River dividing Armenia and Turkey. In the years since, the bridge has been used only once - for a few days in the early 1990s to allow international aid groups to deliver humanitarian assistance. 
The length of the Armenian-Turkish border is 328 km. In 1992 a treaty was signed between Armenia and Russia on mutual defense of the Armenian-Turkish border.

There are such villages on the other side of the border – Turkey. These villages are very close to each other territorially, but the peasants have never seen each other. “Sometimes our animals appear at their side, and they are being returned by the bridge. We have no idea what there is on the other side of the border, we have absolutely no communication with them”, - states one of the villagers. 

Photographers: Vahan Stepanyan & Davit Hakobyan / PanARMENIAN Photo

Society

Armenia-Turkey Border. Still Closed

Margara is the closest village to the Armenian-Turkish border. There are currently 1500 people living there. The main occupation of the dwellers...

by PanARMENIAN Photo in Armenia on 23/10/2009

17/11/2009 - First Goalball Championship in Armenia - Armenia - The first ever goalball championship in...
08/11/2009 - Opening of New Contemporary Art Center in Yerevan - Armenia - After seven years of renovation the...
23/10/2009 - Armenia-Turkey Border. Still Closed - Armenia - Margara is the closest village to the...
16/10/2009 - Armenian Revolutionary Party "Dashnaktsutyun" held a protest rally in Yerevan - Armenia - A protest rally was organized by...
14/10/2009 - Armenian and Turkish Presidents meet in Bursa, Turkey - Turkey - On October 14, RA President Serzh...
09/10/2009 - Spain National Football Team Trainings in Armenia - Armenia - The National Football Team of Spain is...
09/10/2009 - Protest Rally in Yerevan Against Signing of Armenian-Turkish Protocols - Armenia - Over 30.000 people in Armenia went to...
08/10/2009 - Prisoners in detention center for women and underage girls - Armenia - There are currently 160 women and 40...
06/10/2009 - "ReAnimania" Animation Film Festival in Yerevan - Armenia - ReAnimania is an animation film...
30/09/2009 - Famous rock musicians visit Armenia - Armenia - Several rock musicians and authors of...

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