Athletes from the Turkmenistan national weightlifting team won six medals at the 10th International Qatar Cup, which is being held in Doha from 19 to 27 December. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal. Bunyat Rashidov won two gold medals in the 67 kg category (snatch – 145 kg, total – 314 kg) and a silver medal in the clean and jerk (169 kg). Ogulshat Amanova in the 45 kg category won three bronze medals — in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total. The Qatar Cup combines three tournaments at once, including the international cup, the Arab and West Asian weightlifting championships.
Turkmen athlete Ragitbek Bekchanov won six gold medals at the 21st International Martial Arts Spartakiad in Russia. The tournament took place from 18 to 22 December 2025, according to TerraNews. Ragitbek Bekchanov competed in the mas-wrestling discipline in the weight category up to 70 kg. He became the winner in several competitive programmes. The athlete's results added to Turkmenistan's medal count at international competitions. The Spartakiad brought together martial arts representatives from dozens of countries.
Turkmen boxer Bayramdurdy Nurmuhammedov, who won bronze at the World Championships in Dubai, emphasised the key role of head coach Yazmuhammet Pazzyev in his success. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal, citing the newspaper ‘Neutral Turkmenistan’. In the 71 kg weight class, where athletes from more than 100 countries competed, he won four out of six fights. The IBA World Championships were held from 30 November to 14 December 2025. B. Nurmuhammedov became the first boxer in the history of Turkmenistan to win a medal at the world championships, losing to Russia's Sergey Koldenkov in the semi-finals. For his bronze medal, he received 40,000 manats from the President of Turkmenistan and $75,000 in prize money from the IBA. The athlete noted that he has been boxing since the age of 12 and that his commitment to a healthy lifestyle has been instilled in him since childhood in a family of doctors.
Football club «Arkadag» has been crowned champions of Turkmenistan for the 2025 football season. The team won all 28 matches of the Top League and claimed the gold medals for the third consecutive time, Turkmenportal reports. Founded in 2023, the club finished the season unbeaten. «Arkadag» collected 84 points, scored 105 goals and conceded 15. «Akhal» finished second with 55 points. «Altyn Asyr» placed third with 53 points. «Arkadag’s» forward Didar Durdyyev became the tournament’s top scorer, netting 26 goals. The battle for the silver medals went down to the final rounds. «Akhal» secured second place one round before the end of the season despite a 1–2 defeat to Ashgabat in the 28th round. «Altyn Asyr» closed the campaign with a 3–2 victory over «Merv». «Shagadam» finished fourth, followed by «Nebitchi» in fifth. They were followed by «Ashgabat», «Kopetdag» and «Merv». There is no relegation system from the Top League in the Turkmenistan championship.
Boxer Bayramdurdy Nurmuhammedov from Turkmenistan won bronze at the World Championships, which concluded in Dubai. In the 71 kg category, he stopped one step short of the final, losing to Russia's Sergey Koldenkov in the semi-final, according to the news website Turkmenportal. In the decisive bout, S. Koldenkov was defeated by Kazakhstan's Abylayhan Zhusupov, who won gold in this weight class. The total prize fund for the World Championships, held under the auspices of the International Boxing Association (IBA), was $8.32 million. The champions received $300,000 each, the silver medallists $150,000 each, and the bronze medallists $75,000 each.
Turkmen athlete Muhammetoraz Gulov won a silver medal at the International World Series tournament ‘The Karate 1-Youth League’, which took place in the city of Jesolo (Italy). This was reported by the state news agency ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. The competition, held under the auspices of the World Karate Federation (WKF), attracted 3,378 participants from 83 countries. Turkmenistan was represented by 17 athletes. Gulov came second in the kumite competition among boys under 14 years of age in the weight category up to 40 kg. In the final, he lost to Norik Makaryan from Armenia 1:4.
The Turkmenistan national traditional karate team competed in an international tournament in Belgrade (Serbia). According to the results of the competition, the athletes won two medals, demonstrating a high level of training and skill, reports the IIC of Turkmenistan. In individual competitions among participants aged 21 to 34, Selim Myratdurdyev won the gold medal, confidently defeating all his opponents. Eziz Zekeryayev took third place in the same age category, adding another award to the national team's collection. The performance of Turkmen karatekas on the international stage once again confirmed their professionalism and desire to achieve high results.
A new-level research centre for the Central Asian region has begun operating at the State Institute of Physical Culture and Sport of Turkmenistan. Its equipment corresponds to the technologies used in the Olympic academies of leading sports countries, according to the online publication Arzuw News. The centre's laboratories are equipped with Italian ‘BOD POD’ and ‘Cosmed’ systems, which allow for detailed analysis of body composition. The ‘SpeedCourt’ system, known from the academies of ‘Bayern Munich’ and ‘Real Madrid’ football clubs, is used to assess speed and coordination. In addition, specialists have access to the ‘Höhenbalance’ installation, which creates high-altitude conditions and allows for specialised training. The centre's infrastructure includes departments for restorative massage and psychological training, which use modern approaches ranging from visual therapy to stress management training. The complex is complemented by physiotherapy rooms designed for the rehabilitation of athletes after injuries.
Turkmen FIFA referee Resul Mamedov is participating in the second module of an international seminar on the VAR system, which is being held from 1 to 5 December in Tashkent. This was reported by the press service of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan. The event, which brings together FIFA referees from AFC countries, allows participants to hone their skills in analysing game situations and making the right decisions with the help of VAR. The seminar is being held at the renovated training centre of the Uzbekistan Football Association, located near Tashkent. The first module of the seminar was earlier held in the Uzbek capital. Upon completion of the course, R. Mamedov will be eligible to join the team of referees for AFC Champions League matches.
Three boxers will represent Turkmenistan at the IBA World Championships, which will be held in Dubai from 4 to 13 December. The team was formed based on the results of training camps in Uzbekistan, according to the state news agency ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. In the weight category up to 60 kg, 25-year-old Yhlas Gylychjanov will compete. He has been participating in international tournaments since 2017 and competed in the 2018 Asian Youth Championships under the auspices of the ASBC. In the 71 kg category, 23-year-old Bayramdurdy Nurmuhamedov has been announced. In two years, he has won a number of international tournaments and became a bronze medallist at the 19th Asian Summer Games in Hangzhou. In the super heavyweight category (over 92 kg), 24-year-old Dovlet Islamov has been included in the team. This year, he competed in the international tournament in memory of Sagadat Nurmagambetov in Kazakhstan. The prize fund for the world championship is $8.32 million. The winners will receive $300,000 each, the silver medallists $150,000 each, and the bronze medallists $75,000 each.
The Turkmenistan national team will compete in the ‘Gran Fondo’ cycling race as part of Cycling Week in Abu Dhabi in December 2025. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal. This was announced by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UAE to Turkmenistan, Ahmed Alhay Hamad Khamis Alhameli, in an article for the newspaper ‘Neutral Turkmenistan’. The diplomat noted that in August, the UAE Embassy organised a training camp for young athletes from the Abu Dhabi club in Turkmenistan for the third time with the support of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Turkmenistan, and in October held a fitness event in Ashgabat with the participation of 120 people, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the countries. ‘The UAE Embassy is committed to holding such events between the two countries in order to take Turkmen-Emirati relations to an even higher level,’ the Head of the diplomatic mission emphasised.
The Turkmenistan youth team (U-17) finished second in Group F of the Asian Cup qualifying tournament, despite defeating Mongolia 6-2. This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal. The team failed to advance to the final stage after Thailand defeated Kuwait 3-0. In the match in Chonburi, the Turkmen footballers conceded a quick goal from Mongolia in the 16th minute, but then equalised with an own goal. Hudaynazar Meredov put the team ahead in the 34th minute, and in the second half, Turkmenistan scored four more goals, including a brace from H. Meredov and an own goal from their opponents. The final score was 6-2. Thailand, with 9 points and a goal difference of 16:4, advanced to the Asian Cup final, which will be held from 7 to 24 May 2026 in Saudi Arabia. Turkmenistan scored the same 9 points, but with a goal difference of 15:5, took second place.