The Ashgabat Open Kickboxing Championship brought together more than 500 young athletes from the capital and all regions of Turkmenistan.
The tournament, organized jointly by the Turkmenistan Kickboxing Federation and the Main Department of Physical Culture and Sports of Ashgabat, featured athletes born between 2007 and 2016. Over five days, they competed for awards in the disciplines of full-contact, low-kick and kick-light.
Kickboxing, which originated in Japan in the 1950s, has now become a widely practiced sport around the world. In Turkmenistan, more than 5,000 young people are involved in this sport.
As a result of the championship, the Ashgabat team took first place overall, winning 176 medals in different age categories (60 gold, 62 silver and 54 bronze). Athletes from Lebap came in second place with 145 medals (48 gold, 43 silver and 54 bronze). The team from Dashoguz velayat secured third place with 22 medals (3 gold, 9 silver and 10 bronze).
Earlier this year, Turkmen kickboxers won 5 medals at the WAKO Youth World Championships in Hungary and 12 medals at the Youth World Cup in Uzbekistan.