Today, at the Martial Arts Sports Complex of the Olympic Village, festive events were held under the motto “Ashgabat – a City of Sports Opportunities and Achievements”, dedicated to the announcement of the capital of Turkmenistan as the City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth.

As is known, this decision was unanimously adopted during a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS, which took place on May 24 in Ashgabat, having become a center for international meetings and forums in the era of the Revival of a new epoch of a powerful state.

Among the participants in this celebration are the Chairman of the Mejlis, members of the Government, heads of military and law enforcement agencies, ministries and departments, heads and representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Turkmenistan, rectors of higher educational institutions, and the media.

In recent years, Ashgabat, in accordance with the high status of the main city of the country, being a place of concentration of active political, business, cultural and social life, has turned into a center of world sports. Thanks to the innovative urban planning strategy initiated by the National Leader of the Turkmen people and implemented under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, our capital has gained great authority in the international arena as a city with all necessary conditions and opportunities for physical education and sports.

The construction of the Olympic village, the Olympic water sports complex, the National Olympic Sports Palace, the Winter Sports Complex, the Aşgabat multifunctional stadium and other facilities facilitate the radical modernization of the domestic sports sphere, the development of the physical education movement, the formation of a physically strong, spiritually rich generation, the training of athletes and national teams, holding competitions at various levels.

The country has created a modern specialized infrastructure, the material and technical base of sports has been strengthened and modernized, and sports facilities are ready to host the largest international competitions.

An example of this is the 5^th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games that were triumphantly held in 2017, the World Weightlifting Championships in 2018, the 14^th World Kurash Wrestling Championships, and the Central Asian Team Tennis Championships among young people in 2023 athletes in the age category up to 12 years. And in April of the current year, the International Hockey Tournament was successfully held in Ashgabat with participation of teams from the Commonwealth and other countries took part.

The announcement of the Tennis Complex of the Olympic Village in Ashgabat as an educational and training center of the Asian region and the presentation of the corresponding certificate, the annual celebration of World Bicycle Day on June 3 at the initiative of Turkmenistan are of great importance and a worthy contribution to strengthening international relations, peace and friendship.

These and other representative competitions, which our capital hosted with the generosity of a hospitable host and with all the responsibility of the organizer, not only strengthened the sports prestige of the Homeland, but also raised the authority of our state even higher as an influential center of international life, and also launched the mechanism of sports, economic and cultural diplomacy for the sake of universal peace and progress.

They provided an opportunity to demonstrate once again to the international community the potential of our country, its focus on broad partnerships, strengthening friendly and business contacts, establishing an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding in the region and on the planet, and also gave impetus to the development of mass sports and the tourism industry.

Turkmenistan attaches a high humanistic meaning to this important activity, directly correlating the adherence to the ideals of Olympism with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, aimed at creating conditions for the maximum development of human potential.

A clear confirmation of this was the emergence of a new galaxy of young talented athletes who worthily represent the country at major competitions on the planet.

Sport has been and remains the most important component of interstate cooperation, and athletes are messengers of friendship and peace who, with their skill and willpower, affirm the high ideals of Olympism. That is why the training of professional athletes, coaches and other specialized specialists is identified as one of the key areas of the National Program for the Support and Development of Physical Culture and Sports in Turkmenistan for 2021–2025 and other state programs.

...At the main entrance of the Martial Arts Sports Complex there was an exhibition of the achievements of domestic athletes, the exhibition of which included awards of various denominations won at prestigious international competitions.

Those present listened with great attention to the welcoming Address of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the participants of the solemn event “Ashgabat – a city of sports opportunities and achievements” on the occasion of the announcement of Ashgabat as the City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth.

The message emphasizes that, guided by the principles of Hero-Arkadag, noble initiatives are being implemented to develop physical education and sports in the Homeland, which are widely supported by authoritative sports structures in the world. A visit to our country by the heads of International Sports Federations opens new pages in specialized cooperation. As a result of state policy based on the high principles of friendship and peace, sports and humanity, strengthening the unity and cohesion of peoples, Turkmenistan has become a sports center for hosting various international events.

In their speeches via the digital system, Deputy Secretary General of the CIS Nurlan Seitimov, Director General of the International Cycling Union Amina Lanai, President of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) David Haggerty, Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia, President of the International Aquatics Federation Huseyin Musallam congratulated the head of state Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Hero-Arkadag and all the Turkmen people on World Bicycle Day and declaring Ashgabat as the City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth.

As noted, World Bicycle Day, established at the initiative of Turkmenistan in 2018 by the General Assembly of the United Nations, symbolizes the triumph of such universal ideals as peace, friendliness and humanism.

The principles of a healthy lifestyle laid down by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov remain the constant priority of socially oriented policies implemented by Arkadagly Hero Serdar.

Evidence of this is the regular holding of mass sporting events, greening campaigns, bicycle rides that unite thousands of Turkmen citizens of all ages and professions, days with restricted traffic, etc.

It was noted that sport in Turkmenistan had reached a new qualitative level of development. The sports complexes of the Olympic village have all the conditions for holding tournaments of international importance and organizing an effective training process.

This is facilitated by the involvement of experienced foreign specialists in mentoring, who unanimously note the high equipment of the country’s sports facilities and, first of all, the Olympic village.

The participation of the head of state Serdar Berdimuhamedov in the festive events dedicated to World Bicycle Day emphasizes the status of not only the event itself, but also all projects related to improving the health of the nation, serves as eloquent evidence that the formation of a comprehensive national system of physical, spiritual and moral improvement is a state political dominant, the speakers noted.

Taking part in the current event, the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan D.Shlapachenko expressed heartfelt congratulations to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Hero-Arkadag on the occasion of World Bicycle Day and the announcement of the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, as the City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth.

As noted, an eloquent confirmation of the high assessment and recognition by the world community of our country’s successes in developing sports and promoting the values of the physical culture and health movement was the announcement of June 3 as World Bicycle Day at the initiative of Turkmenistan, as well as the unanimous adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution “Integration of mass cycling into the system public transport to achieve sustainable development”.

Within the framework of international sports cooperation, ties with the International Olympic Committee, the UN International Bureau of Sport for Development and Peace, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), etc. are expanding.

Another evidence of the success of Turkmenistan’s sports diplomacy was the unanimous election of our country as a member of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on Physical Culture and Sports (CIGEPS) for 2023–2027.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Tajikistan Vafo Niyatbekzoda also expressed his congratulations on the occasion of the significant event, expressing gratitude to the leadership of Turkmenistan for the enormous support and significant contribution to the development of sports in the country, where special attention is paid to encouraging sports, establishing the principles of a healthy and active lifestyle in society.

The Turkmen athletes who performed – winners of international competitions – expressed sincere gratitude to the head of state Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Hero-Arkadag for their constant concern for the popularization of sports and a healthy lifestyle, creating conditions for practicing various sports, achieving new outstanding victories and wished them good health, happiness and success in large-scale activities for the benefit of the native people and the Homeland.

Also present here were members of the country’s national cycling team, who took part in a long-distance cycling marathon organized for the first time in our country from May 31 to June 3, 2024 along the Mary-Tejen-Ashgabat route along the Ashgabat-Turkmenabat high-speed highway.

The athletes assured that they would make every effort to further increase the prestige of Turkmen sports in the international arena.

The program measures implemented in Turkmenistan to popularize cycling are producing concrete results. Weather and climatic conditions and the existing infrastructure make it possible to hold competitions and training camps in this sport in our country almost all year round. Expanding international cooperation and exchanging experience with foreign partners in this direction will promote the further stimulation and development of cycling.

In honor of today’s significant event, a festive concert was organized with the participation of artists and creative groups glorifying the successes of the Homeland in the development of mass physical education movement and sports, which became possible thanks to the special attention and care of Hero-Arkadag and Arkadagly Hero Serdar.

The monitors showed footage telling about the sports achievements of our country.

At the end of the official part of the ceremony, its participants accepted an Address of gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, which expressed sincere gratitude for the constant concern for the popularization of sports, for creating all the conditions in the country for achieving new victories.

As part of the current event, friendly matches in basketball, futsal and competitions in swimming, tennis, archery, karate, taekwondo, boxing, fencing and athletics were also held in the Olympic Park.