Pashinyan made his point during while chairing a discussion about the 2022 activity report of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia.

More generally, in terms of increasing the cost-effectiveness of state programmes, Pashinyan considered it necessary to make an inventory of investments made and to ensure the accountability of the activities within sports structures.

He also pointed to the need to include a sports education component in the investment programmes, and to engage the Tourism Committee in the preparation for international sports tournaments to be held in Armenia this year.

Reflecting on the state policy of book publishing and libraries, he proposed to submit options for improving the existing mechanisms, including digitisation, in Armenia.

The Prime Minister also instructed officials to carry out not only restoration but also development projects within the framework of preservation of historical and cultural monuments of Armenia.

Pashinyan emphasised the need to modernise the management system of Armenia’s cultural organisations and, in particular, to introduce of a new funding model.

Armenia first participated at the Olympics as an independent nation in 1994 following the break-up of the Soviet Union.

It sent two athletes to take part at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer.

It has sent athletes to compete in every Summer and Winter Games since then.

Armenian athletes have won a total of 18 medals, in wrestling, weightlifting, artistic gymnastics and boxing.

Wrestling has provided the two Olympic gold medals won so far, by Armen Nazaryan at Atlanta 1996 and Artur Aleksanyan at Rio 2016.

At the re-arranged 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, Armenia won two silver medals in wrestling and weightlifting and two bronzes in boxing and artistic gymnastics.

Armenia has competed in every Summer and Winter Paralympic Games since its debut at Atlanta 1996, but has never won a medal.