Sport
The Turkmenistan U23 national team has learnt their opponents in qualification of the Asia-2026 Cup
30.05.2025The opponents of the Turkmenistan U23 team in the qualifying stage of the Asian Cup-2026 have become known. According to the results of the draw in Kuala Lumpur, the Turkmen national team got into Group ‘A’ together with the national teams of Jordan, Taiwan and Bhutan, as the news agency ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’ reports. According to the source, the Turkmen players will start the tournament on 3 September with a match against the national team of Taiwan, play against the national team of Bhutan on 6 September and finish the group stage with a meeting with Jordan on 9 September. A total of 44 national teams are participating in the qualification, distributed by ranking into five baskets. Turkmenistan found itself in the second basket thanks to its quarter-final appearance in the Asia Cup-2022. According to the results of the qualifying round, the winners of the groups and the four best teams among the second-placed teams will advance to the final part of the tournament, which will be held for the first time in Saudi Arabia from 7 to 25 January 2026.
‘Arkadag’ defeated ‘Altyn Asyr’ and moved to the top of the championship of Turkmenistan
29.05.2025Arkadag Football Club secured a confident victory over Altyn Asyr (3:0) in the postponed match of the third round of the Turkmenistan Championship. All goals were scored in the first half: Arzuvguly Sapargulyyev (9th minute), Yazklych Kurbanov (20th) and Begench Akmamedov (30th) distinguished themselves. This was reported by the online news resource TerraNews. Thanks to this success, Arkadag moved into first place in the table with 27 points, ahead of Ahal by 2 points and Altyn Asyr by 5, with two games in hand. Three Arkadag players lead the scoring race: Altymurat Annadurdyyev, Begench Akmamedov and Didar Durdyyev (6 goals each). Ihlas Saparmamedov and Meylis Diniyev are one goal behind, while Abdyresul Abdyyev and Zafar Babajanov have scored 4 goals each.
Honoured Russian figure skating coach visits Turkmenistan
28.05.2025Turkmenistan's figure skating championship held at the Winter Sports Complex in Ashgabat coincided with the visit of honoured coach of Russia and international judge Vladimir Zakharov to the country. This was reported by the IIC of Turkmenistan. According to the source, Zakharov arrived in Turkmenistan to hold training seminars for coaches and judges. The latest changes in the judging system of the International Skating Union, technique of putting athletes on the ice, manner of performance and choreography of programmes were discussed. In addition, the guest noted the significant progress of the Turkmen figure skating school, emphasising the growing number of promising athletes. Chairman of the National Centre for Winter Sports Meretdurdy Gochov noted that after the summer training period, the new sports season will start in August and will open new names in Turkmen figure skating.
WHO invites residents of Turkmenistan to take part in the campaign in support of active mobility
28.05.2025On 3 June 2025, WHO/Europe unveiled a campaign to promote walking and cycling to coincide with World Bicycle Day. The event will bring together experts and the public to discuss sustainable transport solutions. This is announced by ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’ online news edition. WHO calls on experts in the field of health, transport, ecology and urban planning to put forward and support initiatives to develop pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. Everyone can also join the campaign by recording a 30-second video with an answer to the question: ‘Why do I like to walk or ride a bicycle’. On the same day, the 10th Bonn Dialogue on Environment and Health will take place. Experts from academia, the public sector and civil society organisations will discuss the benefits of active mobility. The event is open to all interested parties and registration is available online. Recall that World Bicycle Day was established by the UN in 2018 on the initiative of Turkmenistan to popularise cycling as an element of sustainable development.
Football Federations of Turkmenistan and Qatar strengthen cooperation
27.05.2025Football associations of Turkmenistan and Qatar have signed a co-operation agreement aimed at developing partnership ties and promoting bilateral cooperation in football. The signing ceremony was held on Monday, 26 May, at the headquarters of the Qatar Football Association, located in the Al Bidda Tower in Doha, Orient news agency reported. From the Qatari side, the document was signed by the president of the Association Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, from Turkmenistan - the head of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan Guvanch Ovekov. The event was also attended by the secretaries general of both organisations - Mansour Al-Ansari (Qatar) and Serdar Geldiyev (Turkmenistan). The source notes that the signing of the agreement was part of Qatar's efforts to expand co-operation with Asian football bodies and strengthen sports ties with partner countries in the region.
Turkmen footballers won the first match of the CAFA-2025 Championship
27.05.2025Turkmenistan's U17 national youth team has successfully started its performance at the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) championship held in Tashkent. In the opening match of the tournament, Turkmen footballers defeated Afghanistan 1-0, as ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’ news agency reported. According to the rules of the competition, the participants are divided into two groups. The Turkmen team was drawn into Group B, where Afghanistan and Tajikistan also play. The teams of Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan play in Group A. Turkmenistan's youth team is headed by head coach Ahmet Allaberdiyev. In the next round, the Turkmen players will play against Tajikistan.
The Turkmenistan national team secured the silver medal at the World Hockey Championship
19.05.2025At the World Ice Hockey World Championship (Division IIIA) held in Istanbul, Turkmenistan's national team showed an impressive result, winning silver medals. Six teams took part in the tournament: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, South Africa and Turkmenistan. This is reported by the ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. The Turkmen team started the tournament with three consecutive victories: 3:1 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2:1 against the tournament hosts - Turkey, 8:3 against Luxembourg. The decisive game was against Kyrgyzstan, in which the Turkmenistan is suffered their only defeat (1:6). However, in the final game against South Africa, the team showed character, coming back from 2:5 down in the third period to win in overtime (6:5). With 11 points, Turkmenistan took second place, behind only Kyrgyzstan (15 points). This result was a significant progress compared to last year's 4th place. The team featured 19 hockey players from the Galkan, Shir, Oguzkhan and Alp Arslan clubs. The coaching staff headed by Ilyas Veliyev successfully prepared the team for the tournament, which made it possible to achieve the best result in the history of Turkmen hockey.
Arkadag Club wins eighth consecutive victory at the Turkmenistan Championship
19.05.2025In the 11th round of the Turkmenistan Football Championship Arkadag won a convincing victory over Shagadam with the score 4:1. The match, held in Turkmenbashi, started with an early goal by Mekan Saparov, who opened the score in the 3rd minute. The first half ended with the doubling of the guests' advantage after Velmurad Ballakov's accurate shot in the 37th minute. This is reported by the ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’ online edition. In the second half, Shagadam briefly reduced the deficit thanks to Ashir Jumadurdyyev's goal, but Altymurad Annadurdyyev's double (from the penalty spot and in added time) set the final score of the match. This result allowed Annadurdyyev to equal the number of goals (6) with the leader of the scoring race Didar Durdyev. After this victory Arkadag gained 24 points and moved to the first place in the standings, ahead of Ahal, which has the same number of points. ‘Shagadam’ with 21 points occupies the third position. This victory was the eighth consecutive win for ‘Arkadag’ in the championship. In other matches of the round, ‘Merv’ and ‘Nebitchi’ played a goalless draw in Mary, and ‘Ashgabat’ shared points with ‘Kopetdag’, which spent most of the match in the minority after the suspension of Bayramgeldi Gulmayev. The tour will end with a principled confrontation between ‘Altyn Asyr’ and ‘Ahal’ at the stadium in Byuzmeyin etrap.
Turkmen chess players won five medals at the Western Asia Youth Championship
17.05.2025The Western Asia Youth Chess Championship has ended in Dushanbe, where the national team of Turkmenistan showed brilliant results. Turkmen athletes brought home five awards: one gold and four bronze medals. This is reported by the ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’ online edition. Experienced chess player Leyla Shohradova won gold in blitz among girls under 18, scoring 8.5 points out of 9 possible. The 18-year-old athlete from Lebap velayat confirmed her high level by winning eight games and drawing one. The bronze medals in different age categories were won by Charykhekim Charyyev (under 8 years old), Maksat Avlyakuliyev, Myrat Merdanov and Didar Khupbyyev (team competition under 10 years old). In total, more than 200 young chess players from 12 countries took part in the tournament. Turkmenistan was represented by 17 talented players who honourably showed themselves in this prestigious competition.
Turkmen athletes are preparing for the Asian Judo Cup in Tashkent
15.05.2025The Ashgabat Secondary Sports School of Olympic Reserve is actively preparing for the Asian Judo Cup among cadets, which will be held from 22 to 23 May in Tashkent. This is reported by the IIC of Turkmenistan. The national team of Turkmenistan will be represented at the competition by 18 judokas - 11 boys and 7 girls. About 320 athletes from Asian countries, including 218 boys and 102 girls, are expected to take part in the tournament. For young Turkmen athletes, the performance at the Asian Cup is not only an opportunity to win medals, but also an important step in their sports development. Ashgabat closely follows the preparation of athletes and puts great hopes on them, wishing them good luck on the tatami of the Tashkent tournament.
Turkmen karatekas performed successfully at the World Championship in Poland
14.05.2025The national team of Turkmenistan successfully participated in the World Fudokan Karate Championship for Children held from 4 to 13 May 2025 in Pulawy (the Republic of Poland). This is reported by the International Information Centre of Turkmenistan. The large-scale international competition gathered about 3,000 participants from 47 countries. Turkmen athletes won a total of 21 medals: 7 gold, 5 silver and 9 bronze. The gold medal winners were Nurgeldi Annagurbanov, Hemra Begjanov, Maksatgeldi Geldiyev, Selim Muratdurdyyev, Eziz Zekeryayev, Cherkez Muratdurdyyev and Ibragim Shagulyyev. Silver awards were won by: Maksatgeldi Geldiyev, Kemal Atayev, Meylis Charyyev, Bazarbay Odayev and Ykhlas Annagurbanov. Bronze medals were awarded to: Serdar Bayriyev, Islam Ulugbekov, Hemra Begjanov, Eziz Zekeryayev, Kemal Atayev, Silap Toylymyradov, Meylis Chariyev and Bazarbay Odayev.
AFC President congratulates Turkmen club Arkadag on the victory in the Challenge League
13.05.2025President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has congratulated Arkadag Football Club on winning the first round of the AFC Challenge League. The Turkmen team won the final match against Cambodian club Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng 2-1. The game was played on Saturday at a packed Morodok Techo Stadium in Phnom Penh. This was reported by the IIC. The win was a landmark for Arkadag in its debut season and continued the Turkmen clubs' success at the continental level. Earlier titles in the defunct AFC President's Cup were won by HTTU FC in 2014 and Balkan FC in 2013. Sheikh Salman highlighted the significance of the tournament, emphasising that the competition plays a key role in the development of football. He added that the establishment of the AFC Challenge League as part of the reforms aims to increase opportunities for clubs from developing associations, allowing them to participate in top-class tournaments and improve through competition. On behalf of the Asian football community, the AFC President congratulated Arkadag on the historic achievement and thanked the Football Federations of Turkmenistan and Cambodia for creating a vibrant competitive atmosphere.
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