The Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture was founded on the 21st of July, 1945 by the decision of the Soviet National Commissars.
It was hard post-war time and it was necessary to eliminate the damages caused by the war, to improve socio-economic conditions, to prepare new qualified specialists.
The Government of Armenia, pursuing prudent and wise policy and correctly assessing the urgency and importance of population health enhancement and younger generation physical education, established the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture.
The Institute was of great importance in the development of the country’s economics, keeping territorial integrity and security, improvement of social and cultural sphere of people’s life, achievement of high leveled system of physical culture and sport.
There are 13 chairs with 26 lecturers, 114 students during the first academic year. The first rector was Hayk Parsadanyan. Later the Institute was led by Aghasi Charchoghlyan, Loris Kalashyan, Hrach Topolyan, Robert Galstyan. Since 1998 the Institute has been led by the Honoured Worker of Physical Culture, Doctor of Pedagogical Science, Professor Vahram Arakelyan.
The deputy-rectors of the Institute were Azat Galstyan, Hambardzum Stepanyan, Robert Djuguryan, Frunz Ghazaryan, Michael Ispiryan, Spartak Harutyunyan, Tagvor Manukyan, Hrant Avanesyan.
So far the Institute has prepared 12 thousand specialists in physical culture, sport journalism, kinesiology, adaptive physical culture.
In 1990-1994 many students and graduates of the Institute, carrying out their civil and patriotic duty, fought in the volunteer teams to defend the freedom and independence of Artsakh.23 of them were killed.
One of the main objects of the Institute is to prepare high qualified sportsmen. In Olympic Games the students and graduates of our Institute won 12 gold, 10 silver, 4 bronze medals among them H. Shahinyan, A. Azaryan, E. Azaryan (gymnastics), I. Novikov (pentathlon), Yu. Vardanyan, Yu. Sargsyan , O. Mirzoyan (weightlifting),A. Nazaryan (wrestling), H. Petikyan (shooting), etc. L. Aronyan, S. Lputyan, G. Sargsyan, V. Hakobyan, T. Petrosyan, K. Asryan, A. Minasyan became World, Olympic champions (chess).
The science research centre and the chairs of the Institute are involved in science research works. The results of these works are published in books, textbooks, scientific articles. Every year the lecturers of the Institute publish over 100 scientific articles and works. In all-union and international scientific conferences the new achievements of sport science has been represented by A. Kostanyan, F. Ghazaryan, K. Atoyan, V. Arakelyan, M. Ispiryan, E. Sahakyan, R. Meliksetyan, H. Babayan, A. Harutyunyan, S. Grigoryan and others.