The 1912 year marked the debut of the Ottoman Empire at the 5th Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. After Turkey joined the International Olympic Committee in 1911, they wanted Turkey to be represented by Turkish athletes.
But as a result, Turkey was represented by only two athletes - and both were Armenians - Vahram Papazian and Mkrtich Mkryan. They were both attending American Robert College in Constantinople and being actively engaged in various sports.
At Olympics in Stockholm, Vahram Papazian participated in the 800 meters and 1,500 meters run, and Mkrtich Mkryan participated in the Two-handed shot put, Discus throw, Pentathlon and Decathlon.
Mkryan did quite well, and even managed to reach the semifinals. Papazian also produced a good impression. Yet, even today, Mkrtich Mkryan holds the record of the most sporting events participated by a Turkish athlete in the Olympic history ever.
After the 1912 Olympics, there was a hope that Armenians will have a more imposing delegation at the 1916 Olympics in Berlin... But the “four year later” did not arrive for Armenians - 1.5 million innocent Armenians, were massacred by Young Turk leaders and a significant part of Armenians were forced to flee the country.
When the 1915 Armenian Genocide ensued, Papazyan managed to survive and fleed to Beirut, Lebanon. Eventually, Vahram moved to the United States, where he became an electrical engineer for the Con Edison company in Providence, Rhode Island for more than 35 years before retiring.
Vahram died in the Armenian Hospice in Emerson at the age of 92. He is buried at the Swan Point Cemetery in Providence, Rhode Island, US.
As for the Mkrtich Mkryan - unfortunately Mkrtich didn't make it past 1915...