Celebrations on the occasion of sending off the national team of Turkmenistan to the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games, which will be held from the 26th of July to 11th of August in Paris (France), took place today at the Martial Arts Sports Complex of the capital's Olympic town. Held every four years, these large-scale competitions bring together the best representatives of the sports world from all over the world.

In order to increase the international sports authority of the Motherland in the era of the Revival of the new epoch of the powerful state and the successful performance of our athletes at the upcoming Olympics in Paris, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who is the head of the National Olympic Committee, adopted two special resolutions, according to which a program was developed and an Organizing Committee was established to prepare national teams for the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games and The XVII Summer Paralympic Games in the French capital.

Numerous representatives of the general sports community – heads of the State Committee for Physical Education and Sports, the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees of Turkmenistan, sports federations, public organizations, university students – greet the Turkmen Olympic delegation with stormy applause. It consists of 19 people, including 6 athletes who will compete in four sports – judo, weightlifting, swimming and athletics.

The special flavour of the current celebration was given by the inspired performances of masters of culture and art.

An exhibition was also launched here, presenting the achievements of domestic athletes at international sports tournaments, in particular, high performance and results demonstrated in various sports.

The audience listened with great attention to the Address of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov addressed to the Turkmen sportsmen participating in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Having cordially congratulated the athletes on their participation in the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games, the Head of state expressed confidence that they would raise the National flag of Turkmenistan high at the upcoming world sports festival.

«During the development of the national sports movement, you are mainly responsible for the formation of the sports prestige of Turkmenistan. With your victories and high achievements in sports, you must demonstrate the results of the excellent conditions created at the state level for young athletes! I firmly believe that you will successfully compete at the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games, which will be held in the city of Paris of the French Republic, and will raise the National flag of Turkmenistan high», -President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasised.

In our country, the development of physical education and sports is one of the priorities of the policy implemented by the state. This is evidenced by a number of state programs for the development of sports, including the National Program for the Support and Development of Physical Culture and Sports in Turkmenistan for 2021-2025. In accordance with it, modern stadiums, sports complexes, schools, etc. are being built and put into operation in all regions of the country and in the capital.

In the modern epoch, domestic sport has received a powerful impetus in its development and has reached qualitatively new frontiers. Independent, neutral Turkmenistan is steadily strengthening its position as a sports power, a center for major regional and international competitions. Thanks to the far-sighted strategy initiated by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, along with high-performance sports, a massive physical culture and wellness movement has gained momentum in our country, and the principles of a healthy lifestyle are actively being approved in society.

In the era of the Revival of the new epoch of the powerful state under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who is the head of the National Olympic Committee and Honoured Coach of Turkmenistan, comprehensive work continues on a systematic basis in our Homeland to stimulate and fully support physical education and sports, modernize specialized infrastructure, create optimal conditions for athletes and their mentors, other relevant specialists. At the same time, great importance is attached to building up fruitful cooperation and mutually beneficial exchange of experience with foreign partners in this area.

As a member of the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Council of Asia and the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee on Physical Culture and Sport, Turkmenistan makes a worthy contribution to the development of the Olympic Movement, the implementation of its humanistic principles – strengthening peace and harmony on the planet, friendship between countries and peoples – at the regional and global levels.

Among the outstanding achievements of the Motherland in the field of sports are the triumphantly held V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2017, the Amul–Hazar International Rally and the World Weightlifting Championship in 2018, and the 14th Kurash World Wrestling Championship in 2023.

Taking into account the fact that in a short historical period Turkmenistan has become the center of major world and continental level competitions, the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS at its next meeting, held on the 24th of May 24 this year in the Turkmen capital, declared Ashgabat the City of new sports opportunities of the Commonwealth.

The visible result of Turkmenistan's progressive state policy in the field of sports is the regular participation of Turkmen athletes in prestigious international competitions, where they achieve remarkable success. So, in 2021, new glorious pages opened in the history of national sports. As you know, at the XXXII Summer Olympics held in Tokyo (Japan), our compatriot Polina Guryeva, who competed in the weightlifting tournament, won a silver medal, which became the first Olympic award in the history of our country. This high achievement inspired Turkmen athletes to further improve their skills and win medals at prestigious international competitions.

The victories of our compatriots at the last major international competitions make it possible to count on their successful performance at the Olympics in Paris. Several athletes who have achieved high results at once apply for awards, among them is a 2nd–year student of the Turkmen State Institute of Architecture and Construction Serdar Rahymov. On the way to the coveted Olympic ticket, the 20-year–old judoka from Hojambaz has won six medals at major international competitions over the past two years, including the first gold medal in the history of Turkmenistan in the weight category up to 66 kg at the prestigious world Grand Slam tournament in Tajikistan – «Dushanbe Grand Slam 2024», which in its status is second only to the Olympic Games and the World Cup.

In his speech at today's event, S. Rahymov expressed his deep gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Hero Arkadag for the conditions provided for fruitful sports activities. He assured that at the Olympics in France he would do everything possible to please all the fans of our country with beautiful fights on the tatami.

No less hopes for a successful performance in the Olympic team are pinned on another representative of judo – a student of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Education and Sports, Maysa Pardayeva. In the Olympic qualifying cycle, this 19-year–old talented athlete from the Koytendag etrap of the Lebap Velayat won 7 medals in the weight category up to 57 kg at representative international competitions, including bronze at the XIX Asian Summer Games in Hangzhou (China) and the Grand Slam tournament in Türkiye - Antalya Grand Slam 2024.

The owner of another Olympic license, Davranbek Hasanbayev, a 23–year-old master of sports in weightlifting from the Akdepe etrap of the Dashoguz Velayat, paved his way to the Olympics at the 2024 World Cup in Phuket (Thailand), where he won gold in the snatch, and by the sum of two exercises improved his position in the world ranking by 18 points, entering in the TOP 10 weightlifters in the weight category up to 102 kg, which gave him the right to compete at the 2024 Games in Paris.

Also in our Olympic team are swimmers Musa Jalayev (100 meters of freestyle), Aynura Primova (100 meters of backstroke) and track and field athlete Valentina Meredova (100 meters running).

They will have to demonstrate their determination at the Olympic Games, where we expect worthy victories from our compatriots, which are always highly appreciated by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who is also the head of the National Olympic Committee, and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero Arkadag, who provides full support to the development of domestic sports.

The judicial corps of Turkmenistan at the 2024 Olympics in the weightlifting tournament will be represented by the General Secretary of the Weightlifting Federation of Turkmenistan, a judge of the international category H.Mammadov. In his speech, he also expressed sincere gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and Hero Arkadag for their great attention to the development of sports.

The National flag of Turkmenistan is solemnly brought to the arena, which is awarded to the Olympians of our country. Grand Slam judo champion S.Rahymov, kneeling as a sign of special respect and devotion, applies the sacred Banner to his forehead three times, after which, to the incendiary song of the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov «Öne, diňe öňe, jan Watanym Türkmenistan!», members of the Olympic delegation of Turkmenistan perform a lap of honour with him.

Then the sportsmen of the country's Olympic team adopted an Appeal to the President of Turkmenistan, in which they assured that they would do their best to increase the sporting authority of the Motherland at the main competitions of the four-year anniversary.

The celebration ended with the performance of the National Anthem of Turkmenistan, which, we hope, will be played at the Olympic arenas in Paris.

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On the 23rd of July, members of the national team from the capital's International airport depart to participate in the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games, which will be held from the 26th of July to 11th of August this year in the capital of the French Republic, Paris.

Our people, who wish the athletes participating in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games to adequately represent independent neutral Turkmenistan, are confident that by successfully competing in prestigious competitions they will win high awards, and thereby make a great contribution to increasing the authority of Turkmenistan on the world sports arena.

It is the sacred duty of the Turkmen youth to justify the trust of the Motherland and the people, to achieve great victories and great successes.