Armenia to send five athletes to Winter Olympics

Armenia will be represented by five athletes at the 25th Winter Olympic Games to be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo from 6-22 February.

The team includes cross-country skiers Mikayel Mikayelyan and Katya Galstyan, alpine skier Harutyun Harutyunyan, and figure skating pair Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports reports.

Akopova and Rakhmanin, who secured Armenia’s first Olympic berth in pairs figure skating since independence, will carry the national flag at the opening ceremony. They are the first to compete, with their short programme scheduled for 6 February and free programme on 8 February.

Galstyan will race in the women’s 20km skiathlon on 7 February and the 10km freestyle interval on 12 February. Mikayelyan will contest the men’s 20km skiathlon on 8 February and the 10km freestyle interval on 13 February.

Harutyunyan will compete in the giant slalom on 14 February and the slalom on 16 February.

The Winter Olympics will feature 116 medal events across 16 sports.