Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, together with his wife Anna Hakobyan and daughter Arpi Pashinyan, attended the "The Prime Minister's Cup" team cross-country race tournament for schoolchildren in the Parz Lake area of Dilijan, Tavush Province.

The Prime Minister met the participants before the start of the tournament and wished everyone success.

For the first time, the tournament was held with a two-day camp. The tournament was attended by 11 teams, each consisting of 7 students (5 boys, 2 girls), who overcame the 5000-meter competition distance. For the second year in a row, the team of Syunik took first place, the team of Arena team of Vayots Dzor took second place, and the team of Vanadzor city of Lori Province was the third.

The best runners of the competition were Mari Sargsyan from Shirak and Artur Hambardzumyan from Syunik. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Chief of the Prime Minister's Staff Arayik Harutyunyan and Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan handed over awards to the school teams and participants who took 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the final round. Prime Minister's wife Anna Hakobyan presented prizes to the best runners. Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan was also present at the tournament.

The school ranking the first place received 4 million AMD, the second place - 2 million 500 thousand AMD, the third place - 1 million 500 thousand AMD. The physical education teacher of the first place team received 700 thousand AMD, and each of the 7 students included in the team received 150 thousand AMD. 500,000 AMD for the teacher, 100,000 AMD for the students, 300,000 AMD for the teacher and 75,000 AMD for the students were set for the second and third places, respectively.

In his speech, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan specifically noted:

"Dear attendees,
Dear participants,

Congratulations to all of you on today's event. You know we now have four tournaments under the Prime Minister's Cup. I have to admit that after the results of two years, the cross-country running school tournament clearly corresponds to our initial idea, goal, and spirit, and I want to thank everyone for their active participation.

We had a great time together yesterday and today, we saw symbolic events. We had a very important discussion yesterday. That discussion, by the way, was not about the prize, that discussion was about the relationship between the individual and the policy, the individual and the team. And I was very happy when I saw, I felt that our children, who are here on the occasion of the race, are very seriously able to argue their points of view and justify their approaches. It is extremely important.

I watched with particular emotion the last participants of our tournament, that is, the last ones approaching the finish line, and I don't know if that shot was filmed anywhere, our penultimate participant, when he was approaching the finish line, naturally very tired, realized that he would most likely not take a prize place , and as he approached the finish line, he reached out to take his number at the finish line. And if that shot was taken, I think that shot could become one of the most important symbols of our tournament. Perhaps he was from the Ararat team. I want to thank you because it was very important that all the participants finished our tournament with the same determination, the same determination and the very simple awareness of doing their own thing.

I want to thank you. This is an important event. And I think those who followed the tournament have the answer to the question why so many state high officials have come and are busy here for two days. This is a very important work because we understand and have come to the conclusion that there are many questions that we need to pursue solutions to understand the problems at the deepest level and start solving them from that level. It's no secret that our approach is that the spirit of victory, the spirit of the team and the spirit of individual responsibility should develop from education, general education, school, kindergarten, and we see that this tournament serves that purpose."

The Prime Minister thanked all the organizers of the tournament, including the Ministry of Educatio, Science, Culture and Sport, for holding it at a high level. Nikol Pashinyan also thanked the Ministry of Health for promoting a healthy lifestyle through the pavilions installed within the framework of the tournament.

"In the 21st century, yes, it is fundamentally important to help people learn to eat in accordance with a healthy lifestyle. We must understand that this is the key to development: learn to consume, learn to learn, learn to teach, learn to perceive, learn to understand, learn to overcome. And this event, this tournament is for this. Knowing the motherland is very important. Also, we want to somehow diversify these tournaments between regions, so that, yes, our internal mobility will increase. Its name is not even tourism, its name is to learn to know one's Motherland in all its corners, because knowing it is the most important way to understand, to perceive its interests, to understand its aspirations," said Nikol Pashinyan.