Sport Digest: Pyunik on the verge of five in a row

Premier League: FC Pyunik Yerevan may earn their fifth consecutive title this weekend when they play Abovyan’s Esteghlal-Kotayk at home. Two rounds before the end of the championship Pyunik are six points clear from second-placed FC Banants Yerevan and need only a point to seal their overall victory this season.

Premier League: FC Pyunik Yerevan may earn their fifth consecutive title this weekend when they play Abovyan’s Esteghlal-Kotayk at home. Two rounds before the end of the championship Pyunik are six points clear from second-placed FC Banants Yerevan and need only a point to seal their overall victory this season.

The struggle for the second and third spots will be waged among three clubs – FC Banants and Ashtarak’s Mika and Abovyan’s Esteghlal-Kotayk (these two clubs have two points less than Banants).

And Gyumri’s Shirak, facing relegation for the second year running, managed to stay in the Premier League beating the lower league’s second-placed Gandzasar (Kapan) in a playoff – 5-1.

First Division winner Ararat-2 (Yerevan) won promotion and will play in the Premier League next season.

Under-17s: Armenia’s U-17s team met a failure in the 2005/2006 European Cup first qualifying round in Israel.

Armenia, included in Group 4 together with Russia, Israel and Azerbaijan, lost to Russia 0-4 in the first match on Monday. And two days later, on Wednesday, Armenia’s U-17s lost to Israel 2-7.

With all chances for qualification from the group lost, Armenia will be defending their sport honor in an encounter with Azerbaijan tonight (October 28). (Source: the Football Federation of Armenia)

Chess

Armenia’s chess-players will participate in the World Chess Cup 2005 in the Russian town of Khanty-Mansiysk from November 26 to December 18. The Armenian team will include grandmaster Levon Aronyan, Vladimir Hakobyan, Karen Asryan and Artashes Minasyan. Grandmaster Rafael Vahanyan is a reserve player. Grandmaster from Slovakia Sergey Movsisyan, an Armenian by nationality, will also participate in the tournament representing his country. (Source: the Chess Federation of Armenia, www.armchess.am)

Wrestling

In an international tournament among juniors that recently ended in the Iranian town of Saved four of the nine Greco-Roman wrestlers representing Armenia won awards. Edgar Babayan (74 kg, Yerevan) won his weight category. Varuzhan Balumyan, Armen Melikyan and Sargis Harutyunyan (all from Echmiadzin) won bronze medals in the 55 kg, 60 kg and 120 kg weight categories respectively.

The best young sportsmen from Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia participated in the tournament. (Source: Armenpress news agency)