Declaration of the capital of Turkmenistan - Ashgabat - the city of new sports opportunities of the Commonwealth became the major event of the year «The Fount of Wisdom of Magtymguly Fragi».
As known, the given decision was adopted unanimously within the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS held in the Turkmen capital on May 24 and became an unforgettable gift for Turkmen nationals on the eve of Ashgabat City Day.
This significant event, which has found a wide response both in our country and abroad, - one more recognition of a powerful contribution of Turkmenistan to steady expansion of interaction in the field of sports within the CIS.
Being an associated member of the Commonwealth, our neutral country has always taken and takes an active position in issues of interstate cooperation, constantly putting forward specific proposals on promotion of multilateral partnership in different areas including sports.
So, proposals made by Arkadagly Hero Serdar in October, 2022 at the Summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Astana to set up a co-ordinating committee to hold international sports games under the aegis of the Council of the CIS for physical training and sports as well as organisation of the Games of friendship opened for participation of sportsmen not only from the CIS, but also from other states on a regular basis won appreciation and approval.
Thus, the initiatives of the Turkmen side, which invariably find a whole-hearted support of member countries of this authoritative organisation, are successfully realised, promoting further consolidation of traditional bonds of friendship and good neighbourhood between fraternal people.
Thanks to the «open doors» policy and wide international cooperation, initiated by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Khalk Maslakhaty Hero-Arkadag and nowadays successfully continued by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the capital of our independent neutral fatherland has turned into the largest centre of active political, business, cultural and public life.
According to the high status of the central city of the country Ashgabat, being a man-made symbol of grandiose transformations of the Era of Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State, it regularly becomes a venue of the largest international events, including world level sports competitions.
As a result of innovative town-planning strategy of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, the capital as well as the entire country, «grew» year after year with modern sports complexes, multipurpose stadiums and specialised sport schools promoting development of the Olympic reserve.
Literally, in record-breaking short terms, Ashgabat has created powerful infrastructure including all necessary for practice of various sports, including nonconventional for our hot climate - hockey and figure skating, which Turkmen nationals master with a great interest and enthusiasm.
The list of sports facilities has been in recent years filled with large profile objects, which do not have analogues in the region. Among them - the Olympic village, Olympic water sports complex, the National Olympic palace of sports, Sport centre of winter sports, multipurpose stadium «Aşgabat» and others, promoting development of Turkmenistan as the largest sports power.
All these objects, which have become an embodiment of aspiration of our country to high achievements in sports, directly promoted further successful implementation of comprehensive reforms in the national sports sphere, modernisation of infrastructure of the branch, stimulation and wide development of mass physical culture movement, formation of physically strong younger generation, preparation of sportsmen-champions and national teams.
But, the most important thing, thanks to large scale multidimensional work, Ashgabat has won a great prestige on the international scene as promptly developing centre of world sports, which possesses all conditions for competitions of the highest level.
Adoption of a historical decision by the Asian Olympic Council to hold in Ashgabat the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games - the first competitions of great representative level in the history of Central Asia became a token of special trust in Turkmenistan by international sports community, recognition of merits of our country in development and popularisation of physical training and sports, strengthening of international cooperation in this sphere.
The «Ashgabat Games 2017» held with great triumph was evidence of the fact that our country with honour has justified a high trust.
A distinctive feature of the Asian Games organised under the motto «Health. Enthusiasm. Friendship», was the fact that along with 45 countries of Asia sportsmen from 19 states of the Oceania for the first time took part in competitions.
Organization of the Games in such format opened a new page in the history of world sports movement, promoting its expansion and strengthening in interests of millions people in different corners of the planet.
Performing in those prestigious competitions, the national team properly protected sports image of our fatherland, having won first place in the team events.
As known, the capital Olympic village including about 40 objects became an arena of the Asian Games.
The well-planned facilities of this sports complex and the level of its equipment answering to the Olympic status, had been admired by ex-president of the Asian Olympic Council.
It is necessary to note that at once two objects of the Olympic village of Ashgabat have been included in the Guinness Book of Records - Centre of water sports as the largest one in the world with indoor swimming pool and the image of a horse decorating the podium of the Olympic stadium.
It is remarkable that the program of «Ashgabat Games 2017» included competitions in 21 sports. In addition to 19 declared disciplines at the proposal of the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov such sports as national wrestling goresh and show jumping that became a historic step in advancement of traditions of Turkmen wrestling sport and equestrian sport on the world scene, had been included.
Within the preparation for the Asian Games in 2016-2017 in the Olympic village test competitions - championship of Asia in sambo-wrestling, Turkmen national goresh and belt wrestling, ju-jitsu as well as international tournaments in tennis, track and field athletics, basketball and swimming were organised. And in all those tournaments the Turkmen national team won first place in the team events!
As a host of the prestigious Games, our country has won the status of sports power, capable to host competition of the highest level.
Further augmentation of sports image of Turkmenistan was promoted by the International auto rally of "Amul-Hazar" held in 2018 and the World weightlifting championship, which inscribed new bright pages in the history of national and world sports.
Among are next large and prestigious international sports competitions - 14th world kurash championship and team championship of Central Asia in tennis among young sportsmen under 12 held in 2023. And in April of this year Ashgabat hosted the international hockey tournament, in which teams of states of the Commonwealth and other countries took part, with success.
Along with it, Turkmenistan carries out a great deal of work to promote its potential of sports and to develop relevant multipurpose infrastructure.
So, in 2012 new buildings of the National Institute of Sports and Tourism erected near the Olympic village were organically blended with the unique architectural shape of Turkmen capital (nowadays- Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports) and children and youth sports school of Olympic reserve – centres for training of qualified experts.
The Ministry of Sports and Youth Policy (nowadays the State committee for physical training and sports of Turkmenistan) was created the same year. In 2020, a solemn opening of the office building of the given Ministry as well as the faculty of Olympic sports of Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports took place.
Sports are recognised as a major component of international cooperation and sportsmen - envoys of peace whose skill and will to win confirm high ideals of Olympism.
For that reason, preparation of highly qualified sportsmen, professional coaches and other profile experts is defined among key areas of the Programme for the Support and Development of Physical Culture and Sports in Turkmenistan for 2021-2025, other government programs.
All these years, preparation of professional sportsmen who are called to represent and protect properly the sports image of our country in large world competitions and to raise the level of Turkmen sports to the new height and make a worthy contribution to augmentation of sports authority of our native land, goes on intensively.
In the annals of achievements of our young talented compatriots - numerous awards of various merits, including a silver medal won in the female competitions in weightlifting at the XXXII Summer Olympic Games, held in Tokyo in 2021.
All it testifies to creation of the national sports system that meets given requirements.
Within international sports cooperation year from year relations with International Olympic committee, United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Intergovernmental Committee on Physical Education and Sports and the Asian Olympic Council expand.
In this important work, Turkmenistan recognised as the country of health and high spirit, instils humanistic sense, directly correlating following to ideals of Olympism to realisation of the Goals of sustainable development aimed at creation of conditions for maximum display of human potential.
Unanimous election of our country as a member of Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS) for 2023-2027 became another evidence of success of sports diplomacy pursued by Turkmenistan. As known, the given Committee was created in 1978 with a view of encouragement of the role and significance of sports and its inclusion in state policy.
Announcement the 3rd of June at the initiative of Turkmenistan as World Bicycle Day as well as unanimous adoption of the Resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations «Integration of mainstream bicycling into public transportation systems for sustainable development» became a clear acknowledgement of appreciation and recognition of successes of our land in development of sports, advancement of values of physical culture and health movement by world community .
In 2018, on the occasion of this international holiday in Ashgabat «the largest cycling awareness lesson», fixed as a world record. A year later, in the capital Olympic village with participation of 2019 persons «the longest single line bicycle parade» which also became property of the Guinness Book of Records. 2020, besides it, a 12-kilometre bicycle race, was remembered by the opening of a majestic monument to «Bicycle» which became a new sight of the Turkmen capital.
This year on the occasion of World Bicycle Day it is also planned to organise mass bicycle race and from May 31 to June 3 it is planned bicycle marathon with participation of the national bicycle team of the country on a special route on the site of high-speed highway of Mary-Tejen-Ashgabat with an extent of 335 km.
Besides it, in the sport centre «Welotrek» of the capital Olympic village the track cycling championship of Turkmenistan «Siz bilen sportda gadamlar batly, Ak geljege ýörelgämiz Arkadag» will be held from May 27 to June 3.
There is no doubt that all these actions as well as undertaken purposeful steps for further strengthening wide international cooperation completely answering to the creative purposes and humanistic ideals of the Olympic movement, will serve augmentation of sports image of our fatherland and its white marble-coated capital - Ashgabat recognised as the City of new sports opportunities of the Commonwealth.
