Sunday at the AYF Olympics
Sunday has always been the heart and soul of the AYF Olympics. It begins with Track and Field and ends with the Olympic Ball. The Olympics began as a one-day Athletic Festival, with Track and Field as the only competition. Check out the history section in the AdBook to read about the early history and roots of these games, beautifully written by the inimitable James Tashjian.
The bulk of the points are up for grabs on Sunday. On Friday, there are 20 events. On Sunday, there are 34 events. A chapter must do well on Sunday to win the Olympic Cup. This is not to discount the Friday events. Doing well gives a chapter a leg up and momentum going into Track and Field on Sunday. This is exactly what the Detroit Kopernick Tandourjians had going for them on Sunday morning.
The games this year were held at the George W. Hodgins Stadium at Paramus High School. It was a beautiful, nearly perfect day for the competition, with the temperature in the mid to high 70s and a nice breeze; it was just cloudy enough to keep the sun from beating down on the athletes.
The Opening Ceremonies kicked off with the march of the athletes past the grandstand and into the infield, followed by the singing of the national anthems of the U.S., Armenia and Artsakh. There were greetings and words of inspiration by our Prelate, Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, AYF-YOARF Central Executive Chair Isabel Hagobian and other dignitaries. The newly crowned Olympic Queens and Kings administered the Oath of the AYF Athletes.
The team coaches are keenly aware of their odds of winning the games. They know their own rosters and those of the other chapters, as well as the events they should score in and the events other chapters should score in. The key word here is ‘should’ because they don’t know if any new entries will emerge as phenoms, who might get injured or whether there will be upsets.
The fans can tell when the chapters march in by the number of athletes in their group. I am only the son of a coach, but I have covered these games for twelve years and knew Detroit had the best chance of taking their fourth Olympic Cup in a row. With the lead they had coming out of Friday’s events, it was their Olympics to lose, as they say.
Detroit, in fact, had a very good Sunday and did indeed win the 2026 AYF Olympics Games for the four-peat. Philadelphia came in strong in second place, followed by New Jersey with a most impressive effort to jump from fifth to third place as hosts.
At the Olympics Ball, the high scorers were officially announced and recognized:
- Matt Janian, North Andover
- Natalya Katcherian, Detroit
- Anoush Krafian, Greater Boston
- Ariana Nigoghosian, Detroit
Anoush Krafian was also given a special award in honor of her stellar performances over the years at the AYF Olympics. As CE Chair Isabel Hagobian stated, “At the 2026 AYF-YOARF Olympic Games, this athlete [Anoush] surpassed both the Alumni Women’s Scoring Record and the Active Women’s Scoring Record, becoming the all-time leading female scorer in AYF-YOARF Olympic Games history.”
The Pentathlon results were announced, as well. The gold medalists were:
- Tateos Kassabian, Providence
- Teny Topouzian, Detroit
The Providence Chapter was presented with the Softball Tournament trophy for their impressive fifth consecutive championship. An Outstanding Record trophy was awarded to Sam Selverian of Philadelphia for tying the AYF Record for Men’s Golf. Sam shot a 67 on Friday, tying Alex Kassabian’s record. Alumnus Armen Alashaian of New Jersey was presented with the Ernest Nahigian Sportsmanship Award. Peter Tashjian of Philadelphia was given the AYF Olympics Open Cory Tosoian Memorial Trophy for the best score, a 73, in the Alumni Golf.
The AYFers and their families cheered and chanted the names of the recipients or the chapter with each of these announcements and trophy presentations. It was a beautiful display of the AYF spirit that shines so brightly at the Olympics.
At the end of the award ceremony, the band took the stage, and New Jersey, Philadelphia and Detroit had their chapter dances around and with their respective third-, second- and first-place trophies.
Speaking of the band, Shant Massoyan, Raffi Massoyan, Ara Dinkjian, Jim Kzirian, Steve Vosbikian, Christopher Vosbikian, David Hoplamazian and Jake Terkanian were outstanding, playing the classic songs and dances that had the dance floor full the entire night.
This Sunday at the AYF Olympics was a great day!
Please look for the AYF Olympic Special Edition Magazine for more in-depth reporting on all the Olympic Games. Consider sponsoring the magazine, and supporting the Armenian Weekly by becoming a subscriber.
