Tour of Armenia cycling race will become a tradition, sports minister says

Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan is confident that the “Tour of Armenia,” also known as the Tour d’Arménie, will give a new impetus to increasing Armenia’s international visibility.

“We are preparing for a major event in our country, hosting an international cycling competition for the first time. We have worked on this project for around two years. I consider the organization of the competition important not only from a sporting perspective, but it also reflects strategic approaches. We should use such competitions to increase the country’s international visibility,” Andreasyan said at a press briefing.

The minister emphasized that one of the goals is to develop cycling to the point where Armenian athletes reach Olympic level and, why not, earn the right to participate in the Olympic Games, and that the “Tour of Armenia” international professional multi-day cycling race will become a tradition.

She said that the Government of Armenia continues its efforts to build sports infrastructure, and in this regard, the cycling sports school will be reopened in the near future after renovation.

During the “Tour of Armenia,” the Prime Minister’s Cup schoolchildren’s competition will also be held, during which participating children will have the opportunity to meet Olympic cycling champion Samuel Sanchez, who is the official ambassador of “Tour of Armenia 2026.”

The Tour of Armenia is a professional multi-stage road cycling race held in Armenia and sanctioned as a Class 2.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour.

The Tour of Armenia will be held in Armenia from September 10 to 13.

The Tour of Armenia consists of four stages, with a total distance of 587 km and 5,300 meters of elevation gain.

Overall, more than 300 delegates will arrive in Armenia, including athletes, team representatives, referees, and other specialists involved in the organization and staging of the competition.