The “Neutrality Cup” hockey tournament, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s neutrality, has kicked off in Ashgabat, bringing together eight teams. The event is organized by the National Ice Hockey Federation with the support of the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Physical Culture and Sports, aiming to popularize this sport and promote a healthy lifestyle.
The matches are being held at the “Galkan” Winter Sports Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan and at the Winter Sports Complex.
At the first stage of the competition, participants are divided into two groups. Group A consists of: “Vatanchi” (Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense), “Merdana” (Border Institute), “Shir” (Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Relations), and “Oguzhan” (“Turkmengazawtomatika” Department of the “Turkmengaz” State Concern). Group B includes: “Galkan” (Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan), “Nesil” (Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs), “Burgut” (Sports School of the State Committee for Sports), and “Alp Arslan” (Transport and Communications Complex of Turkmenistan).
According to the tournament regulations, the winners of the groups will compete in the final for the main trophy, while the teams that place second will play each other for the bronze medal.
In the opening match, “Oguzhan” defeated “Merdana” 5–1, and in another game, “Burgut” prevailed over “Nesil” 16–9.
Ahead of the tournament, which will conclude on December 16, a referee seminar was held at the “Galkan” Sports Center, organized with the support of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The seminar program focused on training Turkmen referees and studying modern rules of the game. The lecturer from the IIHF was 33-year-old Vladimir Suslov, a representative of the Ice Hockey Federation of Kazakhstan and an international-category referee with 12 years of experience. He has previously officiated four World Championships, two Asia Cups, and the qualifying tournament for the 2020 Olympic Games.
