In the Era of the Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State, Turkmenistan, under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, continues to steadily follow a creative foreign policy course based on the principles of positive neutrality, peacefulness, good neighbourliness and mutually beneficial cooperation. At the same time, great importance is attached to the development of a fruitful dialogue with authoritative international organizations, primarily with the United Nations and its leading specialized structures.
Among them is the UN specialized agency for education, science and culture (UNESCO), with which our country has had many years of close cooperation. Its dynamic nature is clearly evidenced by the unanimous election of Turkmenistan as a member of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on Physical Culture and Sports for 2023–2027. As is known, this Committee was created in 1978 in order to promote the role and importance of sports and its inclusion in public policy.
At a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers on the 17th of November, the head of state, warmly congratulating all compatriots on this significant event, emphasized that traditional cooperation with UNESCO will continue in the future. The fact that Turkmenistan was elected to the above-mentioned Committee in the year «Happy Youth with Arkadag Serdar» is an eloquent confirmation of the ever-increasing authority of the Fatherland in the international arena, as well as recognition of its significant contribution to the development of physical education and sports, and the widespread popularization of the principles of a healthy lifestyle in the world.
It is noteworthy that our country was elected as a member of this UNESCO structure for the period 2017–2021 and actively participated in its activities.
Having identified the field of physical education and sports as one of the priority vectors of state policy, Turkmenistan is taking consistent steps to strengthen effective interaction in this direction - both in bilateral and multilateral formats.
Thanks to the comprehensive strategy initiated by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and now successfully implemented by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, today domestic sports have reached qualitatively new levels.
The relevant infrastructure is systematically expanded and modernized, creating optimal conditions for athletes and their mentors. In short, everything necessary for conducting training and competitions, preparing highly qualified specialists, educating a new generation of athletes, and forming an Olympic reserve is provided.
Along with stimulating elite sports, constant attention is paid to intensifying the physical education and health movement, which has acquired the character of a long-term national program.
The result of this large-scale, forward-looking work is the widespread involvement of young people in various sports, the growing skill of Turkmen athletes, their remarkable achievements and victories at prestigious international competitions. A landmark event in the history of national sports was the winning of the first Olympic silver medal in the women's weightlifting tournament at the XXXII Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2021. All this helps to increase the authority of the Fatherland in the world as a sports power.
Sport is a living embodiment of strength, beauty, health, energy and aspiration of the spirit to the heights of progress. In the modern world, it is called upon to be an important component of constructive cooperation in the regional and global dimensions, to contribute to the formation of an atmosphere of mutual understanding, respect and trust.
Maintaining multilateral partnerships with the UN, UNESCO, the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Council of Asia and other authoritative structures, Turkmenistan regularly puts forward specific initiatives in this area, advocating the effective implementation of the opportunities of sports diplomacy.
At the same time, our country is confidently strengthening its position as one of the recognized international sports centres. A striking example of this is the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, held in 2017 in Ashgabat at the arenas of the Olympic Village. In 2018, Turkmenistan hosted the World Weightlifting Championships and the «Amul-Hazar» International Rally, which were also crowned with great success. And earlier, in 2009, Hero-Arkadag initiated a rally-raid, the route of which ran along the route of the Great Silk Road.
Today, previously atypical winter sports, taking into account the local climate, are also developing in our country. There are also opportunities to practice other spectacular sports disciplines. Thus, in 2014, the «Avaza» National Tourist Zone hosted the Windsurfing World Cup, with which our country entered the calendar of international sailing tournaments for the first time.
In this way, Turkmenistan has solid experience and potential for organizing major competitions at the regional and global level. And in the coming days the XIV World Kurash Championship will start in Ashgabat. Let us remind that the International Kurash Association was created in 1998 and today unites 118 national federations from Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America, and Oceania. Competitions in this popular type of wrestling will be held in the capital's Olympic village.
By the way, in June of this year, this universal sports complex hosted the Central Asian team tennis championship among boys and girls in the age category up to 12 years. It is noteworthy that this regional tournament, held under the auspices of the International and Asian Tennis Federations, was hosted by our country for the second time.
All this is visible evidence of the active and proactive position of Turkmenistan in the development of the international sports movement as an integral factor that unites people around enduring humanistic values and designed to help strengthen peace and friendship on the planet in the name of common well-being, prosperity and progress.
