Sport
A chess player from Turkmenistan scored 8 points out of 9 at a tournament in Abu Dhabi
31.08.2026Turkmen chess player Allayar Shirliyev won the Open A category at the 32nd International Chess Festival in Abu Dhabi. The tournament took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel on the Corniche and was organized by the Abu Dhabi Chess Club and Center for Intellectual Games—one of the region's largest intellectual forums, attracting hundreds of participants annually, according to the ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’ news agency. The Open A category was contested using the Swiss system over nine rounds with classical time control. The 22-year-old from Ashgabat, seeded seventh with a FIDE rating of 2184 and a Candidate for Master of Sport, scored 8 points out of 9 and took first place outright. Second and third places went to International Masters Bashir Eiti (Syria) and Richilieu III Salcedo (Philippines) – each with 7.5 points. Following the tournament, Shirliyev’s FIDE rating rose by 40.6 points. At the same time, tournaments in the Masters, Open B and Juniors U16 categories were held in Abu Dhabi. The line-up for the Grandmaster tournament included Daniil Dubov, Pa Iniyan, Anand Pranav, S. L. Narayanan, Abhijeet Gupta, David Paravyan, Alexander Rakhmanov and Ivan Zemlyansky. Shirliyev’s victory continued a successful run of performances by Turkmen athletes during the summer of 2026. From 16 to 26 August, Mumbai hosted the Asian Under-20 Junior Championships, where chess player Lala Shohradova won gold in the rapid event, adding to the silver she had won in the blitz event on 17 August. Earlier this summer, the Turkmenistan national team won 16 medals at the Central and North Asian Championships in Kyrgyzstan.
Turkmen wrestling has been included in the programme of the World Nomad Games
30.08.2026The 6th World Nomad Games will take place in Kyrgyzstan from 31 August to 6 September 2026. The competition programme includes more than 40 national sports and games from the participating countries, including Turkmen national wrestling, according to the press office of the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport of Turkmenistan. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games will take place in Bishkek, whilst the competitions will be held at Issyk-Kul. According to the organisers, more than 100,000 people from friendly nations are expected to take part in this international event, which is held every two years. Whilst 19 countries took part in the first Games, held in 2014, a record number of participating nations is expected in 2026: representatives from around 20 countries will take part in these traditional sports competitions for the first time. The World Nomad Games have become an international platform for the preservation and development of the sporting and cultural heritage of peoples. The inclusion of Turkmen national wrestling in the Games’ programme reflects its status amongst national sports. For Turkmenistan, participation in the event is of particular significance: in the year marking the 35th anniversary of independence, Turkmen athletes will have the opportunity to showcase their national sporting traditions on the international stage.
The Turkmenistan national team has learnt its opponents for the 2027 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers
30.08.2026Turkmenistan’s U17 national team will compete in Group F of the 2027 AFC Cup qualifiers alongside teams from Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and the Northern Mariana Islands. The draw took place at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, according to the news agency ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. A total of 35 national teams will compete in the qualifiers, divided into seven groups. Group F matches will be played in Bishkek from 8 to 20 November 2026 in a single round-robin format. On 8 November, Turkmenistan will face Kyrgyzstan, on 14 November – Mongolia, and on 17 November – the Northern Mariana Islands. The final match against Yemen will take place on 20 November. The winners of the seven groups will qualify for the U-17 Asian Cup finals, which will be held in Uzbekistan from 12 to 29 May 2027. They will be joined by nine teams that have automatically qualified following the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar: Australia, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The Turkmenistan U17 national team is being prepared for the tournament by a coaching staff led by Azat Muhadov. In April, the team finished fourth at the Central Asian Football Association Championship (CAFA-2026) in Uzbekistan.
Turkmen football officials are undergoing training as part of the AFC programme
27.08.2026The third and final stage of the professional training programme for managers, organised jointly by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, has begun in Turkmenistan. The five-day course is taking place from 25 to 29 August, according to the IIC of Turkmenistan. The programme aims to develop football management and enhance the skills of specialists in the field, drawing on international experience. Upon completion of the course, participants will be awarded certificates.
Turkmen chess player wins festival in Abu Dhabi
26.08.2026Turkmen chess player Allayar Shirliyev took first place in the Open A category at the 32nd International Chess Festival in Abu Dhabi, held from 15 to 24 August. The 22-year-old Master Candidate from Ashgabat scored 8 points out of a possible 9, according to the news agency Orient. A. Shirliyev started as the seventh seed with a FIDE rating of 2184. By the end of the tournament, he had finished ahead of, amongst others, International Masters Bashir Eiti from Syria and Richilieu III Salcedo from the Philippines. His international rating rose by 40.6 points. The festival was organised by the Abu Dhabi Chess Club. Meanwhile, international grandmasters Daniil Dubov, David Paravyan and Pa Iniyan competed in the Masters tournament. Shirliyev’s success was the latest achievement by Turkmen chess players in August. Earlier, Lala Shohradova won the rapid event and took silver in the blitz at the Asian Junior Chess Championship in Mumbai. The Turkmenistan national team also won 16 medals at the Central and North Asian Chess Championship in Kyrgyzstan.
Turkmen judokas are set to compete in the Grand Slam tournament
26.08.2026The Turkmenistan national judo team will compete at the Grand Slam tournament in Lausanne, which will take place from 28 to 30 August. Ten athletes — eight men and two women — will represent the country, according to IIC. In the under-57 kg weight category, Maysa Pardayeva and Medine Orazniyazova will compete. In the men’s events, Turkmenistan will be represented by Ural Bakhtiyarov and Igtiyar Gurbanberdiyev (under 60 kg), Serdar Rahimov (under 66 kg), Meylis Shamyradov and Allamyrat Annagurbanov (up to 73 kg), Agajan Ayhanov and Batyr Merdanov (up to 81 kg), and Baymyrat Majanov (up to 100 kg). The tournament will form part of the national team’s preparations for the season’s major international competitions.
Turkmen wrestler wins bronze at the World Championships
26.08.2026Turkmen freestyle wrestler Alp Arslan Begenjov won a bronze medal at the U20 World Junior Championships in Bratislava (Slovakia). A third-year student at the Turkmen State Institute of Finance competed in the 86 kg weight category, in which 25 athletes vied for medals, according to the news agency ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. Begenjov contested five bouts and secured four victories. In his first three bouts, he defeated Bolati Na Ertai of China 10–0, Yahia Eliwa of Egypt 16–5 and Mahammad Abaszada of Azerbaijan 14–1. In the semi-final, the Turkmen athlete lost to Russia’s Ahmad Mukutov 4–8. In the bronze medal match, Begenjov defeated Turkey’s Sefa Cesur 9–2. The world champion was the American Aeoden Sinclair, who defeated Ahmad Mukutov 8–4 in the final. The second bronze medal in the under-86kg category was won by the Japanese athlete Natsura Okazawa. After the medal ceremony, Begenjov thanked the fans for their support.
The Turkmenistan National Youth Team is preparing for the U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers
26.08.2026The Turkmenistan U-20 national team, led by head coach Didar Hajiyev, is holding a training camp in Thailand as part of its preparations for the qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. The qualifiers will begin on 31 August and will feature 31 national teams divided into eight groups, according to IIC of Turkmenistan. Places in the final stage of the tournament, which will take place in Hangzhou, China, from 24 March to 10 April 2027, will be secured by the group winners and the seven best runners-up. The Turkmenistan national team will play in Group F, with matches to be hosted by the city of Chonburi. In the group stage, the team will face their counterparts from Iraq (31 August), Thailand (3 September) and the UAE (6 September). The final stage of the national team’s preparations was their participation in the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA-2026) tournament in Tajikistan in May, where the Turkmen players finished fourth.
The Turkmenistan U-20 football team have travelled to Thailand for a training camp
25.08.2026The Turkmenistan U-20 national football team, led by head coach Didar Hajiyev, has begun preparations for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The team is holding a training camp in Thailand, according to the news website Turkmenportal. The qualifying tournament kicks off on 31 August. In the qualifying stage, the 31 teams are divided into eight groups: the group winners, as well as the seven best runners-up, will qualify for the finals. Thus, 15 teams will share places in the finals with the tournament hosts, the Chinese national team. Turkmenistan will compete in Group F alongside Iraq, Thailand and the UAE. The matches will take place in Chonburi (Thailand): 31 August – Iraq vs Turkmenistan, 13:30 3 September – Turkmenistan vs Thailand, 17:30 6 September – UAE vs Turkmenistan, 13:30 The Turkmenistan Under-20s played their last friendly in May 2026 at the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA-2026) Under-20 tournament, hosted by Tajikistan. The Turkmen players beat Afghanistan 3–1 but lost to Tajikistan 1–2, Kyrgyzstan 1–2 and Uzbekistan 0–2, finishing fourth overall. The final stage of the 2027 AFC U-20 Asian Cup will take place in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from 24 March to 10 April.
Turkmen athletes are preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games
24.08.2026In July–August 2028, Los Angeles (USA) will host the XXXIV Summer Olympic Games and the XVIII Summer Paralympic Games. Members of Turkmenistan’s national teams are preparing for competitions in athletics, weightlifting, boxing, judo, swimming, para-powerlifting, and freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. This was reported by the press office of the Ministry of the Textile Industry of Turkmenistan. The Olympic Games will take place from 14 to 30 July, and the Paralympic Games from 15 to 27 August 2028. Los Angeles previously hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984. In 2028, the city will host the Games for the third time, joining London and Paris. The organisers are emphasising the use of existing sports infrastructure. The plan is to utilise existing stadiums and other venues for the competitions and ceremonies, with temporary structures being erected only where necessary. There are also plans for the expanded use of renewable energy sources and modern energy technologies. Flag football and squash will feature in the 2028 Olympic programme for the first time. The programme also includes cricket, baseball, softball and lacrosse.
Turkmenistan’s basketball team has got off to a successful start in the Nations League
22.08.2026Turkmenistan’s men’s and women’s under-23 national teams secured victories over their Qatari counterparts in their opening matches of the FIBA 3x3 Youth Nations League 2026 international tournament in Singapore. This was reported by the IIC of Turkmenistan. The men’s team beat their opponents 15–9, whilst the women’s team won 21–6. The matches took place on the first day of the group stage of the Asia West/Pacific conference. The tournament in Singapore is taking place from 20 to 26 August, with teams from Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkmenistan taking part. In the preliminary stage, the Turkmenistan national teams are also set to face the Australian teams. The winner of the regional conference will qualify for the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup, which will take place in September in the Chinese city of Hubei.
FC ‘Ahal’ has been informed of the AFC Challenge League fixture list
21.08.2026The Asian Football Confederation has approved the fixtures for the group stage of the 2026/27 AFC Challenge League. Turkmenistan’s ‘Ahal’ will compete in Group A of the ‘West’ zone, according to IIC of Turkmenistan. The group’s matches will be played in a centralised format in Bhutan. The team’s opponents will be Lebanon’s ‘Al Ansar’, Syria’s ‘Al-Ittihad’ and the tournament hosts, ‘Paro’. The eight strongest clubs will progress to the play-offs. The knockout matches will begin in spring 2027. ‘Ahal’ fixtures: 17 October – ‘Ahal’ vs ‘Paro’; 20 October – ‘Al-Ittihad’ vs ‘Ahal’; 25 October – ‘Ahal’ vs ‘Al Ansar’.
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