The XXIX Summer Olympic Games will start in a few days. 10 Turkmen sportsmen and their coaches have comfortably accommodated in the Beijing Olympic village adapting themselves to local conditions. The Turkmen national flag is flying among the flagpoles of the participating countries.

Of the Turkmen team the bullet shooters are the first to join in the prestige competitions. International Master of Sports Yekaterina Arabova will compete in 10 m air rifle. Yekaterina is to make 50 sure shots within 1 hour and 15 minutes to win the gold medal.

The winner of the 2008 Asia Boxing Qualification Tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan Honoured Master of Sports Aliasker Bashirov will compete for qualification to the final, which will be held on the boxing ring of the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium on August 22.

On August 11, the Turkmen weightlifters, International Masters of Sports Umurbek Bazarbaev and Tolkunbek Khudaybergenov will pick up the baton of the Olympic competitions. The weightlifters whom our high hopes to win the gold medals are set on will represent our country in the under 62-kg weight category.

International Masters of Sports, the Turkmen judokas Guvanch Nurmuhamedov and Nasiba Surkieva from the Dashoguz Velayat will demonstrate their technique on the mats of the University of Science and Technology on August 13.

On August 15, the athletics events will start on the running tracks of the National Stadium Bird’s Nest, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies. Amanmurad Khommadov will compete in the men’s hammer throw event and Valentina Nazarova will run 100 metres.

Andrey Molchanov and Olga Khachatrian will participate in the swimming event, which will start on August 18, men’s 100 metre freestyle and women’s 50 metre freestyle.