AYF Olympics analytics project goes live

The AYF-YOARF Central Executive is proud to announce the official public launch of the AYF Olympics Analytics Project, the first time in the organization's history that decades of AYF Olympics results have been digitized, structured and made explorable in one place. This marks a significant first step in the digitization of the AYF archives for public use and a new era in how the community preserves and engages with its own history. The AYF-YOARF community and alumni can now explore generations of AYF Olympics history, including results, records and statistics spanning decades, through a single living platform, available at ayfolympics.org/ayfstats. What began as an effort to preserve AYF Olympic historical records has become something far larger: a foundation for making AYF Olympics history not just accessible, but engaging for the generations who lived it and the generations still to come. The project was led by Bob Tutunjian, de facto AYF Olympics statistician, and Nareg Mkrtschjan, a former Central Executive chairperson and current alumnus. As the project officially went public, Mkrtschjan said, "Our AYF archives are irreplaceable. This effort has represented well over 200 hours of work since last September, and it has been a profound privilege.” The importance of the project extends beyond the records themselves and speaks to the responsibility of preserving the history of those who built the organization. Mkrtschjan continued, “Though we have lost the oldest generation of charter members who built this organization, the digitization and preservation of their records is what keeps their memory, their spirit and, above all, their work alive. I call upon every alumnus to send the AYF any organizational documents, photographs, artifacts, and old films and recordings in their keeping so that they may be digitized and safeguarded for generations to come.” This release is only the beginning. As the database and app continue to grow, additional historical information, features and improvements will be introduced to make the platform ever more comprehensive, accurate and useful. The roots of the project, however, stretch back decades. Tutunjian first envisioned a more accessible way to preserve AYF Olympics history long before the technology existed to make an archive of this scale possible. “I first became interested in the history of the AYF Olympics during my first year on Central Executive. I was introduced to the bound paper archives of the Armenian Weekly by editor James Tashjian when the Hairenik was located on Stuart Street in Boston. While looking through the yellowing pages, I thought it would be nice if we could store all these records somehow in an easily accessible form. Keep in mind, this was years before spreadsheets and personal computers. When the Hairenik digitized all of the old editions several years ago, finding information was at least possible, even though it was still time-consuming. This allowed the creation of spreadsheets to compile annual point totals for all AYF chapters, as well as members who had scored the highest number of points. But these were still incomplete and not accurate in some cases,” Tutunjian said. As part of this extensive project, some individual and chapter point totals have been updated to reflect the most accurate records available. This database is a living archive, and feedback is welcome to improve its accuracy. Those who notice discrepancies or have questions may contact CE@ayf.org. Preserving that history is also part of a broader commitment by the Central Executive to ensure that the work undertaken today continues to strengthen and serve the organization for generations to come. Current AYF-YOARF Central Executive Chairperson Isabel Hagobian said, “The 2025-26 AYF Central Executives have placed a strong emphasis on sustainability, recognizing that the work we do today should serve not only the current AYF-YOARF community, but also generations to come. We have made a conscious effort to invest the time, resources and care necessary to preserve our history, strengthen our infrastructure and build lasting systems that can support the organization well into the future. The AYF Olympics database is one example of this broader commitment, but our goal is for sustainability to be at the heart of everything we do as a region. Whether it is preserving our history, improving our systems or creating new resources for our members, we want this work to have value well beyond our own term and to leave the AYF stronger for those who come after us.” The Central Executive once again thanks Bob Tutunjian and Nareg Mkrtschjan for spearheading the effort from research to completion. It also thanks Shoreview Sports Analytics, which completed the initial digitization of the database and served as a consultant throughout the process. The database can be accessed at ayfolympics.org/ayfstats. This is a colossal milestone that the Central Executive is proud to share with the entire AYF-YOARF community. Please stay tuned as the project develops, and those interested in supporting the effort can donate here.

AYF Olympics analytics project goes live

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