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Vahram Papazyan

Personal information
Nationality	Turkish
Born	Constantinople, Ottoman Empire
Died	United States
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event	1912 Summer Olympics
Club	Ardavast
Updated on 4 February 2013

Vahram Papazyan was one of two athletes that represented Turkey's first appearance in the Olympic games which was held in Stockholm in 1912. Papazyan participated in Men's 800 metres and Men's 1500 metres. Vahram Papazyan along with ethnic Armenian Migirdiç Migiryan were the only two athletes representing Turkey in the country's first official participation of the Olympics.

Life

Of Armenian descent, Vahram Papazyan was a son of a newsstand owner. During the dawn of every morning, Papazyan would run from his residence in the Bebek neighborhood of Istanbul to the Babiali to pick up news and return it to his fathers kiosk. After completing this task, Papazyan ran to Robert College where he attended school.

When Turkey was admitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1911, president of Turkey's Olympic committee Selim Sırrı Tarcan placed advertisements in the local Ikdam and Sabah newspapers in order to recruit athletes for the 2012 Olympic Games in Stockholm. Papazyan immediately responded to the advertisement and expressed his desires to participate in the games.

In order to cover the costs of the trip, Vahram Papazyan requested financial assistance from the Armenian sports club Ardavast in which he was a member of. In order to raise money and awareness for Papazyan, the Ardavast sports club organized a theatrical play at the Greek Theatre in the Arnavutköy neighborhood of Constantinople where Papazyan himself played a minor acting role. Due to the success of the event, the funds ultimately covered Papazyan's entire Olympic expenses.

After his participation in the Olympics, Vahram Papazyan returned to the Ottoman Empire. When the Armenian Genocide ensued, Papazyan managed to survive and eventually settled in Beirut.

Vahram Papazyan ultimately moved to the United States where he died.

Olympics

Vahram Papazyan did not finish both the Men's 800 metres and Men's 1500 metres.

According to the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports, during the Men's 1500 metres, Vahram Papazyan had a "fabulous tempo" and was leading the race which positioned him for first place. However, when about 20-25 meters remained in the race, Papazyan suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed.

However, according to Vahram Papazyan's grandson, the reasons as to why Vahram Papazyan did not finish the races were entirely different. According to his grandson:

I remember stories about my grandfather, Vahram Papazian, who ran the Decathlon in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. Grandpa would tell us how, suddenly, two lengths ahead of the nearest contender, it dawned on him that if he won, the Turkish flag would be raised. So he stopped.

On the other hand, it is reported by the Armenian weekly Agos newspaper that in a letter written while he was still in Beirut, Vahram Papazyan was disappointed that Turkish flags were not used as part of the Olympic decorations in the city of Stockholm. According to the letter, Papazyan went to the local Turkish embassy and expressed his concerns.

See also

• The Ottoman Empire at the 1912 Summer Olympics
• National Olympic Committee of Turkey

Reference

1. ^ "Olimpiyat Stadyumlarında İlk Türk Bayrakları" (in Turkish). T.C. Genclik ve Spor Bakanligi (Republic of Turkey Youth and Sport Ministry). Retrieved 4 February 2013. Osmanlı Olimpiyat Cemiyeti artık kurulmuştu ve bu iki sporcu bu derneğin verdiği belgelerle resmen bir Olimpiyat Oyunları'na ilk kez katılıyorlardı. Bu sporcularımız Vahram Papazyan ve Mırgırdıç Mıgıryan Efendiler idi.
2. ^ Heijmans, Bill Mallon, Jeroen. Historical dictionary of the Olympic movement (4th ed. ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810875227. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ^ Demoyan, Hayk (2009). Armenian Sport in Ottoman Empire. Yerevan: Tigran Mets. p. 220.
4. "1912 Stockholm Olympiyatlari". Bilgi ve bellek: türk devrim tarihi çalışmaları dergisi (in Turkish) (4–5). İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi. 2006. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
5. Ahmad, Feroz (1994). The making of modern Turkey (1. publ. ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415078368.
6. Mouradian, George (1995). Armenian infotext (1st ed. ed.). Southgate, Mich.: Bookshelf Publishers. ISBN 9780963450920. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
7. ^ Erik Bergvall (ed.). The fifth Olympiad: the official report of the Olympic games of Stockholm, 1912 (PDF). Swedish Olympic Committee. Retrieved 4 February 2013. {{cite book}}: |first= missing |last= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
8. Koptas, Rober (July 26, 2012). "Olimpiyat tarihinin gayrı resmi sayfası". Agos (in Turkish). Retrieved 4 February 2013. 1915'te yaşanan katliamlar sırasında hayatta kalabilen ve daha sonra Beyrut'a yerleşen Vahram Papazyan
9. "Stories of my Grandfather". AIM: Armenian International Magazine. 4. Glendale, CA: AIM: XLVII. 1993. Retrieved 4 February 2013. I remember stories about my grandfather, Vahram Papazian, who ran the Decathlon in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm. Grandpa would tell us how, suddenly, two lengths ahead of the nearest contender, it dawned on him that if he won, the Turkish flag would be raised. So he stopped.
10. "Olimpiyat tarihinin gayrı resmi sayfası". Agos (in Turkish). July 26, 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2013. "Sabah Stockholm'e vardığımda, sokakların ve büyük binaların olimpiyatlara katılan irili ufaklı ülkelerin bayraklarıyla donatıldığını gördüm. Ama hiçbir yerde Türk bayrağı yoktu. Bu durum beni çok üzdü. Nihayetinde vatanımın, Türkiye'nin temsilcisiydim ve ülkeme karşı gösterilen bu çirkin tavır, benim için bir aşağılamaydı. Barınmam için bana ayrılan mekâna varmadan, bir araba tuttum ve doğrudan Türk elçiliğine gittim. Öfkemi anlatacak ve hemen bir çare bulunmasını rica edecektim."

• Armenian athletes
• Turkish athletes
• Olympic athletes of Turkey
• Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics