Four Artsakh youth athletes to represent Armenia at 2026 IMMAF World Championships

(Horizon Media / YEREVAN) – Four young athletes from families forcibly displaced from Artsakh are representing Armenia at the 2026 IMMAF Youth World Championships in Abu Dhabi, with their participation fully funded by the U.S.-based Lorik Humanitarian Fund.

Karen Arzumanyan, Tigran Gasparyan, Samvel Avetisyan and Erik Hayrapetyan qualified to compete for Armenia after achieving leading results in their respective age and weight categories. The championship is being held from August 16 to 23.

Lorik Humanitarian Fund raised $3,600 — $900 for each athlete — to cover participation fees, accommodations and related expenses.

Arzumanyan, 17, is competing in the 61.2 kg division, while Gasparyan is the reigning Armenian champion in the 16–17 age group at 52.2 kg. Avetisyan is Armenia’s current champion at 48 kg, and 13-year-old Hayrapetyan placed second nationally in the 40 kg division.

All four athletes come from families displaced from Artsakh following the September 2023 exodus and have continued training in Armenia under Stepan Shahmuradyan, Vice President of the Armenian MMA Federation and a trainer at Shahmuradyan Fight Club.

With the athletes’ championship participation secured, Lorik Humanitarian Fund has also launched a campaign to raise approximately $2,500 for new equipment at their training gym. About $600 has already been raised.

The gym also provides free training to children of fallen Armenian servicemen and children affected by the September 2023 fuel depot explosion in Artsakh.

Lorik Humanitarian Fund President Shunt Jarchafjian said the initiative reflects the organization’s effort to move beyond immediate humanitarian assistance and create longer-term opportunities for displaced Artsakh youth.

The Armenian MMA Federation, headed by President Garegin Aghabalyan, is fielding Armenia’s youth national team at the Abu Dhabi championships.