Turkmenistan made its debut in figure skating at the Asian Winter Games. This landmark event in the history of national sports took place at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China.

Two-time Turkmenistan champion Larisa Vakhitova and Ayna Ekaeva represented our country in the women's singles figure skating competition, held under the patronage of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) every four years. Ekaeva is a student at Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports and has previously competed at events such as the 1st Winter Children of Asia International Sports Games in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (2019), the Bosphorus Cup in Turkey, and an international tournament in the UAE.

The competition for medals in this discipline included 25 figure skaters from 14 countries. The best result for our team was achieved by Larisa Vakhitova. In the short program, she ranked 14th, and in the free skate, 13th. As a result, with a score of 112.24 points, the student of coach Yana Vakhitova secured 13th place overall, surpassing 12 participants, including Ayna Ekaeva, who did not make it into the top 24 finalists.

Figure skating as a sport began to develop in Turkmenistan after the opening of the first Ice Palace in Ashgabat in 2006. Today, there are five ice arenas functioning in the country, including four in the capital and one in the "Avaza" National Tourist Zone.

Turkmenistan was represented at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin in three sports: figure skating, short track speed skating and ice hockey. 

In the previous 8th Asian Winter Games held in Sapporo (Japan), Turkmen hockey players ranked 11th out of 18 teams. At this year's Games, they finished 10th out of 14 teams after losing their match for ninth place to Kuwait with a score of 4:8. 

The next, 10th Asian Winter Games will take place in Saudi Arabia in 2029, marking the first time that country will host a Winter Asiad.