Karen Aghamalyan, who was the chief coach of the Armenian boxing team at the European Games, says Baku’s referees not only failed to rule in the Armenian athletes’ favor, but were also against them.

“The boys were psychologically ready and knew where they were going. They didn’t need to be told that. Everyone was ready for the European Games. I’m content with the performances of the boys who left for Baku. The Armenian boxers showed that they are ready to overcome any obstacle,” Aghamalyan said during a press conference, reports “Armenpress”.

Talking about the fans, the coach stated that there were groups in the tribunals that would cheer for the athletes during the Armenian boxers’ performances. “The fans would hold signs, but there were no racist or Fascist statements. The referees saw all that and were ashamed to look into our eyes. Our boys would come out to the ring with smiles on their faces. Based on all this, we can conclude that the boys were even ready to compete in these conditions. There were no leading players at the European Games, and the boys knew this. We had a strong team that was ready to fight until the end.

They took Narek Avgaryan’s bronze medal away from us. It’s safe to say that Aram Avagyan and Samvel Barseghyan also “didn’t suffer a defeat”,” the expert stressed. “The referees in the duels that the Armenian athletes lost were Brazilian and Indonesian, and I know them very well. The referees of Tunisia and Egypt didn’t declare us as the winners either. European media representatives stated that the referees were not only against our athletes, but also against us,” Aghamalyan said.

Armenia sent six boxers to the First European Games, but none of them scored a medal.