Yerevan, April 15 – A legal challenge has been initiated against Gagik Tsarukyan, President of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia (ANOC), seeking to terminate his powers. The lawsuit was filed by Arayik Harutyunyan, head of the Prime Minister’s staff, and comes amidst the inaugural Eurasian Sports Cooperation Association forum taking place in Yerevan.
Lawsuit Filed Against ANOC President Gagik Tsarukyan
Gevorg Stepanyan, a member of the ‘Mother Armenia’ faction of the Yerevan City Council, revealed the development in a Facebook post on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. According to Stepanyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration is using the courts and law enforcement as tools for personal and political revenge. He specifically highlighted the case of Arayik Harutyunyan, who has been appointed as the President of the Armenian Weightlifting Federation, filing a lawsuit against Tsarukyan.
Stepanyan stated, “Nikol Pashinyan has turned the courts and law enforcement into a tool for personal use. He tries to implement personal and political revenge against anyone through them. This time, he decided to make his chief of staff, Arayik Harutyunyan, work hard against the leader of the Prosperous Armenia Party, ANOC President Gagik Tsarukyan.”
Coinciding with the Eurasian Sports Cooperation Association Forum
The lawsuit was initiated concurrently with the first forum of the Eurasian Sports Cooperation Association being held in Armenia. During this forum, presidents and high-ranking officials from more than a dozen Eurasian Olympic Committees proposed that Gagik Tsarukyan lead the newly formed structure.
Stepanyan further commented on the timing and implications of this move: “And this is parallel to the fact that the first forum of the Eurasian Sports Cooperation Association was held in Armenia, within the framework of which the presidents and high-ranking officials of more than a dozen Eurasian countries’ Olympic Committees offered Gagik Tsarukyan to head that structure.”
Political Motivations Alleged
Gevorg Stepanyan suggested that the actions against Tsarukyan are politically motivated and driven by the Prime Minister’s personal ambitions and fears. He accused Pashinyan of once again undermining the country’s reputation for personal gain.
“Of course, we have no doubt that for Pashinyan, the symbol of masculinity are those belonging to different ‘cultures,’ that’s why he turned to the appropriate official, but he may remain under the barbell,” Stepanyan wrote, using a metaphor related to weightlifting. He added, “Although in Nikol’s case, it is not surprising that the country’s interests are subordinated to personal ambitions and fears, and he once again plays with the state’s reputation.”
Stepanyan also drew parallels between this situation and the upcoming parliamentary elections, claiming that Pashinyan is proceeding with illegalities, not realizing that “his game has long been over, or as the people say, the cat’s game is until the barn.”
This development has sparked significant discussion within Armenian political and sports circles, raising questions about the independence of the judiciary and the political climate in the country. The outcome of the lawsuit and its potential impact on Gagik Tsarukyan’s leadership of the ANOC and the broader sports community remain to be seen.
The Eurasian Sports Cooperation Association forum aims to foster greater collaboration and development in sports across the Eurasian region. Tsarukyan’s potential leadership of this new body could have significant implications for Armenia’s role in international sports.
Further updates are expected as the legal proceedings unfold and as reactions from various stakeholders emerge.
Source: Gevorg Stepanyan’s Facebook page
