The International Olympic Committee says it is examining ways to protect Armenia’s National Olympic Committee following the government’s seizure and closure of its Yerevan headquarters.
Law enforcement officers searched and sealed the committee’s offices after the July 6 arrest of its longtime president, businessman and opposition leader Gagik Tsarukyan. The raids also targeted dozens of companies associated with Tsarukyan, disrupting the Olympic committee’s operations.
An IOC spokesperson said the international body is in contact with the Armenian committee and is reviewing possible measures to protect it as an independent institution, as well as to safeguard Armenian athletes and the Olympic movement.
The Armenian authorities have not publicly provided a clear explanation for effectively shutting down the committee.
Tsarukyan has led the Armenian Olympic Committee since 2004. Government efforts to remove him intensified after his Prosperous Armenia Party joined other opposition forces challenging Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party in the June 7 parliamentary elections.
A lawsuit seeking Tsarukyan’s removal was filed by the Armenian Weightlifting Federation, which is headed by the chief of Pashinyan’s staff.
Tsarukyan’s representatives have warned that government interference in the Olympic committee could trigger an international dispute. The IOC requires national Olympic committees to operate independently and has previously sanctioned countries over political interference in their activities.
