Sports

Armenians participate in a diverse range of sports. Football is Armenia's most popular sport. Wrestling, weightlifting, judo, chess, and boxing are also prominent sports. Armenia's rugged topography lends itself well to the practice of sports such as skiing and rock climbing. Because Armenia is a landlocked country, water sports may only be conducted on lakes, particularly Lake Sevan. At the international level, Armenia has had great success in chess, weightlifting, and wrestling. Armenia is also a member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the Federation of International Bandy (FIB), and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It also serves as the site of the Pan-Armenian Games.

Armenian football players are well renowned in post-Soviet countries for their abilities and well-developed methods. This is primarily owing to the success of Armenian players like Khoren Hovhannisyan, Eduard Markarov, Levon Ishtoyan, Nikita Simonyan, and others. One of the greatest victories of an Armenian team occurred in the golden year of 1973, when the famed Armenian club Ararat Yerevan won both the Soviet Top League and the Soviet Cup.

Armenia has had great success in chess since its independence. Armenia's men's team has won the Chess Olympiad three times, placing them as the fifth most successful team in chess history. Famous chess players of Armenian heritage include Tigran Petrosyan and Garry Kasparov.