From July 4 through July 7, the Homenetmen New York chapter hosted the 29th annual Homenetmen Eastern United States Navasartian Games in Long Island, New York. Over 400 athletes from 10 chapters from across the Eastern United States came together to participate in a variety of sports including basketball, soccer, volleyball, track, chess and swimming events.
The opening ceremonies, which were emceed by Nazareth Abajian, commenced with the entrance of His Eminence Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy, and honored guests, escorted by Homenetmen scouts from different chapters in the region. Athletes and coaches marched into the gymnasium and showcased the teams participating in this year’s games. There were welcoming remarks by Chairman of Homenetmen New York Eddie Torossian and Homenetmen Eastern USA Region Chairman Aram Kayserian. Homenetmen Central Executive representative Hratch Mesrobian emphasized that at the end of the weekend, the ultimate winner is Homenetmen. Finally, Srpazan Anoushavan expressed his wishes for a safe and successful tournament for all participating athletes and to Homenetmen as a whole.

During the opening ceremony, there was a moment of silence to remember and honor Archpriest Moushegh Der Kaloustian—former pastor of St. Illuminator’s Armenian Cathedral and staunch supporter of Homenetmen within the New York community—and Hamo Sardarbegians of Homenetmen’s Washington chapter, who devoted his life to Homenetmen as a coach, leader, mentor and recruiter of young Armenian athletes to the organization. In Sardarbegians’ honor, the Regional Executive announced that the men’s volleyball trophy will bear his name for the next five years.
The Navasartian Games steering committee organized nightly entertainment throughout the weekend. Friday evening featured performances by Sarina Cross and her band. The weekend ended with the “Victory Gala” on Saturday evening with Montreal’s Sako Tashjian performing on-stage. Trophies and awards were also distributed to the victorious teams in each sporting category. Closing remarks were delivered by Kayserian and Mesrobian. His Excellency Ambassador Mher Margaryan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations, also offered his sincere wishes for success of the Homenetmen Navasartian Games. Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Eastern USA Central Committee representative Khajag Megerdichian gave an empowering speech on the importance of Homenetmen and how far we have come to date. Hayr Sahag Yemishian, Prelate Vicar General of the Eastern Prelacy, gave his holy message and blessed the dinner & attendees.
The successful weekend was made possible by the tireless efforts of the Navasartian Steering Committee, led by Karekin Shamlian and the New York chapter executive. Next year’s Navarsartian Games will be held in Boston, Mass.
Official Results:
PW Soccer
Champion: New York
Runner-up: New York
Midget Soccer
Champion: Chicago
Runner-up: New York
Sr Men’s Soccer
Champion: New Jersey
Runner-up: Washington DC
Sr Women’s Volleyball
Champion: Chicago
Runner-up: New York
Sr Men’s Volleyball (Y. Hamo Sardarbegians Trophy)
Champion: Providence/Merrimack Valley
Runner-up: Washington DC
PW Basketball
Champion: New York
Runner-up: New York
Midget Girls Basketball
Champion: New York
Runner-up: New York
Midget Boys Basketball
Champion: Chicago
Runner-up: New York
Jr Boys Basketball
Champion: New York
Runner-up: New Jersey
Sr Women’s Basketball
Champion: New York
Runner-up: Philadelphia
Sr Men’s Basketball (Y. Mark Alashaian Trophy)
Champion: Chicago B
Runner-up: New Jersey A
Veteran Basketball
Champion: New York A
Runner-up: New York B
Track
Champion: New York
Runner-up: Boston
Swimming
Champion: Washington DC
Runner-up: New Jersey
Under 18 Chess Tournament
Champion: Washington DC (Simon Soghomonian)
Runner-up: New York (Andre Tavitian)
18 & Over Chess Tournament:
Champion: Washington DC (Haig Pakhchanian)
Runner-up: New Jersey (Vahn Mouradian)
Final Totals
1st Place – New York (89 points)
2nd Place – Chicago (40 points)
3rd Place – Washington, DC (35 points)
4th Place – New Jersey (29 points)
5th Place – Boston (13 points)
6th Place – Philadelphia (5 points)
7th Place – Providence (3 points)
Merrimack Valley, Florida and Albany (0 points)
Most Improved Chapter Award
New Jersey
Sportsmanship Award (Y. Aram “Sonny” Gavoor Trophy)
Philadelphia
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