The Chair of Physical Education and Sports of YSU was founded in 1924 and operated jointly with the Chair of Military Studies, and in 1933 the Chair continued its activity as a separate university academic unit. As a complete structural department of YSU, today it operates in accordance with RA laws "On Education", "On Physical Culture and Sports", state educational standards, the requirements of the physical education program of university students and the charter of the YSU Chair of Physical Education.
The Chair carries out its educational, training, healthy, patriotic activities and local history studies to contribute to the improvement of students' health, physical training and development of sportsmanship through various forms of physical education and sports.
From the very first days of the Chair's establishment, the famous long jumper, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, USSR champion Aram Ter-Hovhannisyan, USSR honored coach Artyusha Nazaryan (wrestling) and other prominent figures have worked as coaching pedagogues at the university. Over the years, the Chair has increased the number of lecturers, associate professors and professors with higher professional education, whose activities are aiming at comprehensively improving the physical and moral preparation of students and contributing to health promotion.
The Chair includes students from all faculties in its educational and training activities aimed at improving students' sportsmanship through various means of physical education and sports. This is proved by the many prize places won in various sports at the Student Sports Games held as part of the cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Student Sports Federation.
At the end of the academic year, students of all educational units pass a physical ability test. The most important requirements of the subject are regular attendance and active participation in physical education classes, as well as improving physical fitness.
In the field of physical education and sports, the presence of sports equipment corresponding to international standards is of vital importance. Approving the proposal of the YSU leadership and Chair, in the 1970s, the Government of Armenia decided to build a sports complex with 5 gymnasiums, where the shooting range and therapeutic physical culture gymnasiums were later constructed.
The construction of the sports complex (1979-1980) was a vast progress in the educational and cultural life of the university and Armenia in general. After the full operation of the complex, it became possible not only to organize the physical education of students in accordance with modern requirements but also to hold large-scale sports competitions, Spartakiads and international meetings.
Former Vice-Rector of YSU V. Aslanyan and Head of the Chair G. Petrosyan made a huge contribution ranging from the project work of the complex to its operation, and thanks to their consistent work, this important structure had significant achievements.
The teams of the university had friendly matches with student-athletes from universities in different cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tartu, Odesa, Donetsk, Riga, Rostov, Vilnius, Tbilisi, Ashgabat, Tehran, Spahan). In September 2002, at the invitation of Isfahan University (Islamic Republic of Iran), YSU volleyball and basketball teams played friendly matches with the teams of Isfahan and Shiraz universities. To support the enlightening and educational organizations of the Diaspora Armenians, educational and methodical sports literature written by the professors of the Chair was sent to Cyprus, Lebanon, Artsakh and other centers of Armenian specialists.
Chair work is not limited to conducting physical education classes. After classes, from the second half of the day, there are 25 sports improvement groups for 15 sports.
Lecturers of the Chair participate in the annual Lecture Cup tournament. They are co-authors of the program of physical education for university students approved by the Ministry of Education and Science in 2007. The teaching staff of the Chair participated in republican, international and CIS countries’ conferences. In addition to academic work and training, the lecturers of the Chair perform significant social work in the movement processes of the Republic of Armenia and the international physical culture by forming sports federations, refereeing commissions, etc.
The Chair has scientific cooperation with the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport, Lomonosov Moscow State University, L.A.Orbeli Institute of Physiology, N. Nalbandyan State University of Shirak and Artsakh State University.
The multi-content works of the Chair were regularly covered on the YSU website and in "Yerevan University", "Sports Armenia" and "Horizon" newspapers, radio and television.
The work of the YSU Physical Education and Sports Chair pursues a significant aim - the comprehensive and harmonious development of university students and the progress of physical culture and sports in the republic.
