Armenian gymnasts leave Qatar and return home via Saudi Arabia

Armenian gymnasts who were previously stranded in Qatar due to the tense military situation in the Persian Gulf region have managed to leave the country.

According to the Embassy of Armenia in Qatar, ten Armenian citizens received special permission to enter Saudi Arabia, from where they will be able to fly back home. Among them are members of the Armenian national artistic gymnastics team.

Earlier, Armenia’s artistic gymnastics team found itself in a difficult situation because of the military escalation around Iran, which disrupted air travel and prevented the athletes from leaving Qatar in time after their training camp.

As a result, the Armenian gymnasts were unable to participate in the third stage of the 2026 World Cup, which started on March 12 in Antalya, Turkey.

It should also be noted that the Armenian team had previously missed the second stage of the World Cup held in Baku.

This season, Armenian gymnasts competed only in the first stage of the World Cup in Cottbus, Germany, where they delivered strong results.
Arthur Avetisyan won a gold medal in the rings event, Mamikon Khachatryan claimed silver on the pommel horse, while Hamlet Manukyan and Artur Davtyan finished 7th and 5th respectively.

The next, fourth stage of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup will take place in Cairo from April 3 to April 6. After returning home, Armenian athletes will now have the opportunity to prepare for the next event of the series.