Cultivating an Armenian Legacy of Sportsmanship in a Valley of Flowers

On 5 September, Elina Avanesyan and Alina Charaeva played an exhibition match in Tsaghkadzor, the first time two internationally ranked women representing Armenia met on one court at home. Earlier that day, around 200 children had trained with them, turning the mountain town into a space where professional sport, youth inspiration and Armenian representation came together.

Vanane Ararktsyan, Executive Director of Keron Development Foundation, spoke to Nicholas Cooksey about why the foundation took the match up the mountain and what it is building around it.

For the Keron Development Foundation, sport is one of its five strategic directions and an important part of its broader mission to bring global talent closer to Armenia, create role models for the next generation and strengthen the country’s visibility on the international stage.  

Two professional players, a mountain town, free entry. Why this match, and why Tsaghkadzor?

Tsaghkadzor means “Valley of Flowers,” but for Armenians it also carries a strong sporting legacy. During Soviet times, it was an important high-altitude training centre for athletes from across the region. So it felt like the natural place to bring this new moment in Armenian tennis.

Our partner, the Armenian Tennis Federation, has been renewing the tennis infrastructure in Tsaghkadzor, creating professional courts and better conditions for the next generation. We wanted to build on that work by bringing children who will shape the future of Armenian tennis closer to the sport and to the athletes themselves.

For the first time, Armenia has two internationally ranked women representing our country at this level: Elina Avanesyan, the first Armenian woman to reach the WTA Top 40, and Alina Charaeva, who chose Armenia and has embraced our country with such warmth and pride. Seeing her represent Armenia on the international stage is particularly meaningful – she has truly become part of our sporting family.

That day, children of different ages came from different regions of Armenia to train with them. We wanted them to stand just a few metres away, watch the game, and hear the sound of the ball coming off their rackets. Television cannot give you that experience.

For us, the match was about much more than tennis. It was about creating a moment of possibility – showing children that international-level sport can happen here, in Armenia, and that perhaps one day they can be the ones standing on that court.

About 200 children were on court before the match. What did the day look like from where you stood?

The morning was probably the most meaningful part of the day for me. The courts were full of children and young athletes of different ages, who had come from Yerevan and different regions of Armenia. They trained with Elina and Alina, played with them, asked questions and took photos – and you could see how much it meant to them to be so close to professional athletes.

There was also something very special about having the women of Dzerqd Tur with us – a group of older women who discovered tennis later in life. Some of them only recently picked up a racket, and yet there they were, sharing the court with children and professional players.

For me, the evening match was the visible celebration, but the real heart of the day was what happened on those courts that morning.

Keron supports athletes through its Talent Pool. What does that support cover, and what do you ask in return?

Our Talent Pool is built on our belief in the transformative power of people. Its goal is to attract highly qualified professionals and exceptional talent from around the world to contribute to the development of Armenia across our five strategic fields: education, healthcare, sports, culture and territorial development.

Talent Pool is about more than financial support. We want to stand behind talented people at a stage when the right support can make a real difference – giving them the confidence and opportunity to pursue their ambitions and create meaningful change.

For our athletes, what we ask in return is not a medal. We ask them to understand that they are part of something bigger – a growing community of Armenian talent. We hope they will carry that sense of responsibility with them, represent Armenia with pride, and, when the time comes, inspire the next generation.

A sceptic would call an exhibition match a show. What remains after the players fly out?

And I would agree with the sceptic – it was a show. But in Armenia, I believe we need shows like this. We need moments that motivate, inspire and teach; moments that allow young people to see how ambitious dreams can become reality through hard work, resilience and perseverance.

Life itself is a show, and each of us chooses which show to watch – and where to step in and become part of it.

The match lasted a few hours. For us, it was a way to create something that continues long after the players leave. And I believe we are already seeing that happen. Since Elina joined the Armenian team almost three years ago, tennis has been gaining more and more visibility and popularity in Armenia. More importantly, we are seeing a shift in the role models children look up to and in the place that sport can have in their lives.

If a child leaves that day thinking, “Maybe I can do this too,” then the show has already done its job.

You moved from fashion and media to SOS Children’s Villages, AmCham Armenia and now Keron. What connects those rooms?

What connects those rooms is people and the desire to create something meaningful with them.

Fifteen years ago, when Cosmopolitan was launched in Armenia as an international franchise, I was proudly leading its fashion direction. Even then, I saw fashion as more than clothes. I wanted to encourage a younger generation to be creative, to appreciate culture, and to develop their own sense of style and identity rather than simply follow the crowd. In a different way, I was already thinking about how you can create positive change through what you do.

Later, SOS Children’s Villages taught me the meaning of social impact and how much can be achieved when people come together around a cause. AmCham taught me the power of partnerships and of bringing very different people around the same table.

Keron feels like the place where all those experiences come together – communication, culture, education, fundraising, partnerships and international relations – with one purpose: to contribute to meaningful, transformative change in Armenia.

Perhaps that instinct also comes from my family. My father, one of the founding members of independent Armenia, used to say that without education, people become a crowd that is easily controlled and manipulated. I have carried that sentence with me throughout my career. At Keron, it almost reads like a job description.

What should a ten-year-old in Vanadzor or Tsaghkadzor find in tennis five years from now?

I want a ten-year-old to have the right to choose. To become a highly qualified surgeon, a professional tennis player, a world-class chef or a top scholar – whatever speaks to them.

When I was growing up, there were relatively few professions that people imagined as realistic choices. Today, I believe a developing country should give every young person the freedom and opportunity to discover what they are capable of and choose their own path.

So, in five years, perhaps some of those children will still play tennis simply because they love the sport and it keeps them healthy. And perhaps some will be competing on international courts. Both are successes.

Our responsibility is to give them possibilities – good infrastructure, access, role models, knowledge and the confidence to dream beyond what they see around them. To show them that the sky is the limit, and then give them the freedom and tools to decide where they want to go.

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