Martin Berberyan started freestyle wrestling in 1987 under the teaching of Samvel Markarian . He became a Junior World Championships silver medalist in 1997 and a Junior European Champion in 1998 . In 1999 , Berberyan was selected as a member of the Armenian national freestyle wrestling team . Berberyan came in sixth place at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney , his best Olympic result . Berberyan won a gold medal at the 2004 European Wrestling Championships . The 2004 European Championships were hosted by Ankara and competitions were held on April 24 , the same day as the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire began . Because Berberyan became a European Champion at the competition , the Armenian national anthem , Mer Hayrenik , was played in the Turkish capital on that day . The success of Martin Berberian received wide publicity in Armenia . Immediately after returning to Yerevan , National Olympic Committee of Armenia President Gagik Tsarukyan handed Berberyan the keys to a new car as a reward
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Martin Berberyan