New youth judo program led by Artsakh champion Sose Balasanyan seeks $9,800 to fund its first full year
GLENDALE, Calif. — Lorik Humanitarian Fund has launched “Judo on the Border,” a new youth sports program in Bertavan, a village in Armenia’s Tavush region near the borders with Azerbaijan and Georgia.
The new program will provide local children with regular judo training under Sose Balasanyan, an accomplished judoka and sambo athlete from Artsakh who represented Armenia internationally.
Lorik is seeking $9,800 to fully fund the program for one year, covering rent for the training space, judo uniforms for the children, and Balasanyan’s instructor salary.
An Accomplished Athlete From Artsakh
Balasanyan competed internationally for Armenia in the 52 kg division, including at World and European Judo Championships and international Grand Prix competitions. International Judo Federation records document her international competitive career representing Armenia.
She also competed in sambo and earned medals at major international competitions before turning her experience toward training young athletes.
Balasanyan’s life and athletic career are also featured prominently in director Emily Mkrtichian’s acclaimed documentary There Was, There Was Not. The feature documentary follows four women from Artsakh beginning in 2018, including Balasanyan as a judo champion with aspirations of reaching the Olympics. The film subsequently follows their lives through the 2020 Artsakh War and the loss of their homeland.
Now forcibly displaced from Artsakh, Balasanyan is bringing her experience to a new generation of children in Bertavan.
Continuing Lorik’s Investment in Youth Sports
Judo on the Border continues Lorik Humanitarian Fund’s previous investment in youth athletics.
Before the forced displacement of Artsakh’s Armenian population, Lorik helped establish new wrestling groups in three Artsakh villages, providing equipment and covering trainers’ salaries for several years. Lorik also supported Artsakh’s Wrestling, Judo & Sambo, and Weightlifting Federations.
The new Bertavan program carries that work forward in one of Armenia’s border communities, creating an opportunity for children to train locally under an experienced athlete and instructor.
$9,800 Funds One Full Year
The entire first year of Judo on the Border can be funded for $9,800.
The funding will cover:
- Rent for the training space
- Judo uniforms for participating children
- Sose Balasanyan’s instructor salary for one full year
Lorik Humanitarian Fund is inviting donors and community members to help fully fund the program and give children in Bertavan access to consistent athletic training in their own community.
One year. $9,800. Judo on the Border.
To support the program or learn more, visit LorikHF.org.
About Lorik Humanitarian Fund
Lorik Humanitarian Fund is a nonprofit organization supporting Armenians through programs focused on housing, education, small business development, youth programs, cultural preservation and assistance to families forcibly displaced from Artsakh.
Media Contact:
Lorik Humanitarian Fund
LorikHF.org
