Turkmen midfielder of “Kitchee” Ruslan Mingazov scored a goal and made four assists in the Hong Kong Premier League match against “Hong Kong Rangers”. The match ended with a convincing victory for “Kitchee” with a score of 8:0.

The winners' goals were scored by Juninho (14th minute), Luis Machado (21st and 37th), Velton Sampaio (40th and 56th), Ruslan Mingazov (54th), Sherzod Temirov (79th) and Poon Pui Hin (88th). Mingazov made four assists in one game for the first time in his career. In this match, the Turkmenistan national team midfielder was in the starting lineup and played 63 minutes.

After three rounds of the Hong Kong Championship, “Kitchee” earned 5 points and is in fourth place in the standings.

His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear

Serdar Gurbangulyevich,

Please accept my warmest congratulations on the occasion of your birthday.

You know how the deep strategic partnership between our countries is gradually developing.

We are convinced that we continue our constructive joint work on current bilateral and international issues for the benefit of the friendly peoples of Russia and Turkmenistan, as a result of ensuring security, stability and change in the Central Asian and Caspian regions.

With all my heart, dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich, I wish you good health, happiness and success in your state activities.

Respectfully,

Vladimir Putin,

President of the Russian Federation.

* * *

His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear Mr. President!

On your birthday, I express my sincere congratulations and best wishes to you.

Last year, we met by chance, jointly announced the elevation of Chinese-Turkmen relations to the level of a comprehensive partnership, as well as the realization of the common destiny of China and Turkmenistan, outlined new plans for the development of traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

I pay great attention to the development of Chinese-Turkmen relations and am ready to include joint efforts with you to further develop a multifaceted partnership for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries.

I wish you good health and success in your work, and happiness and life to the friendly people of Turkmenistan.

Xin Jinping,

Chairman of the People's Republic of China.

* * *

His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear

Serdar Gurbangulyevich!

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday!

Your effective work as head of state and the pursuit of a positive policy of neutrality are the key to limiting the development of fraternal Turkmenistan, improving the well-being of citizens and enhancing the authority of Ashgabat in the international arena.

Kazakhstan sincerely rejoices in the high achievements of the fraternal Turkmen people and pays priority attention to the prospects for deepening bilateral cooperation in the spirit of friendship, good neighborliness and third-party partnership.

I highly appreciate your personal contribution to strengthening Kazakh-Turkmen relations, as well as your steady support for the trend in achieving the common goal of the noble goal of relations - bringing our multifaceted interstate ties to a qualitatively new level.

I take this opportunity to wish you, dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich, inexhaustible energy, family behavior and, gradually, success in responsible state activities for the benefit of the fraternal people of Turkmenistan.

Respectfully yours

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev,

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

* * *

His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear

Serdar Gurbangulyevich,

It is with great pleasure that I send you my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday.

On this significant day, I wish you good health, happiness and further success in your state activities for the benefit of sustainable progress and prosperity of the fraternal people of Turkmenistan, as well as consistent strengthening of the international positions of your country.

Taking this pleasant opportunity, I would like to once again note our deep interest in the comprehensive development of Tajik-Turkmen relations of friendship and cooperation in line with the deep strategic partnership.

I am confident that through joint efforts we will continue to promote the development of the entire range of multifaceted relations between Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in accordance with the fundamental interests of our fraternal peoples.

With respect and best wishes

Emomali Rahmon,

President of the Republic of Tajikistan.

* * *

His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich,

I congratulate you on your birthday and express my best wishes.

I am confident that we will continue our successful joint efforts to further develop relations between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in the interests of our peoples, bound by ties of friendship and good neighborliness.

On this significant day, I wish you good health, happiness and success in your activities for the well-being of the people of Turkmenistan.

With respect

Ilham Aliyev,

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

* * *

To His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich,

I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday.

Thanks to your hard work, political will and professionalism, fraternal Turkmenistan is developing at a rapid pace, unity and harmony in Turkmen society are being ensured, stability and security in the country are being strengthened.

I am firmly convinced that through joint efforts we will further expand Kyrgyz-Turkmen cooperation. Active political dialogue will continue to serve as a reliable basis for strengthening relations in all areas of mutual interest.

Dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich, I wish you good health, happiness and success in your public activities, and peace and prosperity to the people of fraternal Turkmenistan.

Respectfully,

Sadyr Japarov,

President of the Kyrgyz Republic.

* * *

His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich,

I sincerely congratulate you on your birthday.

Please accept my sincere wishes for good health and successful implementation of all plans in the highest government post. I wish happiness, peace, goodness and prosperity to you and your loved ones.

Sincerely,

Alexander Lukashenko,

President of the Republic of Belarus.

* * *

His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Your Excellency,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your birthday.

I am confident that joint efforts aimed at developing and expanding cooperation between Armenia and Turkmenistan will continue to contribute to the consistent strengthening of bilateral interstate relations for the benefit of the centuries-old friendship of the peoples of our countries.

I take this opportunity to wish you good health and new successes in your responsible activities aimed at ensuring the well-being and prosperity of the people of Turkmenistan.

Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Nikol Pashinyan,

Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.

* * *

To His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich,

On behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation and on my own behalf, I congratulate you on your birthday.

I would like to especially note your constant attention to strengthening Russian-Turkmen relations of friendship, good-neighborliness and strategic partnership. In pursuance of decisions taken at the highest level, trade, economic and investment cooperation is steadily developing, promising joint projects in energy, industry and innovation are being implemented. Interregional ties and business contacts are expanding.

I am convinced that further expansion of practical cooperation, promotion of new mutually beneficial initiatives in various fields fully meet the interests of Russia and Turkmenistan.

I sincerely wish you, dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich, good health and new successes in your responsible state activities.

With sincere respect

Mikhail Mishustin,

Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation.

* * *

To His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich!

Please accept my warmest congratulations on your birthday.

At the highest state post of Turkmenistan, you solve large-scale tasks of building a strong prosperous state, ensuring the growth of the well-being of citizens. In this complex and multifaceted work, your best qualities are revealed - a sharp mind, vital energy, readiness to make important decisions and take responsibility for them. You are worthily leading the country along the path of progress, carefully preserving the cultural and historical traditions of the Turkmen people, confidently building a dialogue with partners on the world stage.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the attention you pay to the development of Russian-Turkmen strategic partnership relations and their parliamentary component.

With all my heart, I wish you, dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich, good health, prosperity and success in implementing all your plans for the benefit of friendly Turkmenistan.

Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

Valentina Matviyenko,

Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

* * *

To His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich!

Please accept the assurances of my deepest respect and congratulations on your birthday!

Under your leadership, Turkmenistan is confidently moving along the path of socio-economic development, plays an important role in international affairs, rightfully enjoying high authority on the world stage.

With all my gratitude to you for your every effort to preserve the soul and improve the multifaceted ties between the Astrakhan region and Turkmenistan. I am confident that in the future, the established constructive dialogue will fully deepen bilateral cooperation.

On this significant day for you, I wish you, deeply respected Serdar Gurbangulyvich, good health, development and successful implementation of all plans and beginnings for the benefit of the people of Turkmenistan.

With deep respect

Igor Babushkin,

Governor of the Astrakhan Region of the Russian Federation.

* * *

His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Dear Serdar Gurbangulyevich!

Please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of your birthday!

Your deep knowledge and high personal qualities will help you study the policy aimed at the development and statehood of your country.

I wish you good health, development and, consequently, success in your state and international activities!

Respectfully,

Bakytzhan Sagintayev,

Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

* * *

His Excellency

Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov,

President of Turkmenistan

Your Excellency,

Please accept my warmest congratulations and sincere wishes on the occasion of your birthday.

I pray to the Almighty for success in granting you long life, honest health, devotion to happiness, family development and great success in these great endeavors as the head of state, the brotherly people of Turkmenistan - happiness and prosperity under your wise leadership.

Your Excellency, please accept the confidence of my deep respect.

Your brother

Faisal bin Nasser bin Hamad Al Thani,

member of the right family in the State of Qatar.

The women's team of Turkmenistan won its sixth victory at the 45^th World Chess Olympiad, which is ongoing in Budapest (Hungary). In the 9^th round, it won with black pieces against the 42^nd seeded team of Montenegro (average rating - 2142) - 2.5:1.5.

A significant contribution to the victory of our team was made by the champion of the country Meryem Agajanova (2^nd board) and Enesh Arazmedova, who played at the 4^th board as a reserve player, who won against the female international master Alexandra Milovich and Mateja Popovich, respectively. And Leyla Shohradova (3^rd board) played a draw with the female FIDE master Nikolina Kolyevich.

It is noteworthy that the 5^th place winner at the 2024 Turkmenistan Championship, 17-year-old Enesh Arazmedova, did not lose a single point in the five games she played, showing a 100% result in our team at the 2024 Olympiad.

After this victory, the Turkmen chess players (73^rd seed; average rating - 1956) moved up 7 steps in the tournament table, occupying 30^th place among 169 women's teams with 12 points and lagging behind the leading Kazakhstan by 4 points.

The men's team of Turkmenistan (73^rd seed; average rating - 2332) also moved up 5 positions on the «tournament ladder», having tied in the 9^th round - 2:2 with the team of Canada, seeded at number 50 (average rating - 2468). In this match, it is worth noting the victories of International Master Saparmyrat Atabayev (1^st board) over Grandmaster Sean Rodrigue-Lemieux and the current champion of the country Allayar Shirliyev (4^th board) over International Master Nikolay Naritsyn.

In addition to A. Atabayev and A. Shirliyev, the Turkmen team in the men's tournament at the Olympiad is also represented by International Grandmaster Meylis Annaberdiyev (2^nd board), 18-year-old Amanmuhammet Hommadov (3^rd board) and reserve player Vepaly Halyniyazov.

With two rounds to go, the chess players of Turkmenistan are in 50^th place among 188 teams with 11 points. The Indian team is leading the men's tournament with 17 points.

In the 10^th round, the men's team of Turkmenistan will play against the Singapore team, which is in 45^th place with 11 points, having won against the Algerian team the day before – 3.5:0.5. And our women's team will meet with their opponents from Greece (23^rd seed), who won against the chess players of Monaco in the previous round – 3.5:0.5 and are currently in 36^th place in the tournament table with 11 points.

The World Chess Olympiad is a team competition in which teams from different countries compete for the title of the strongest chess nation. This is one of the most prestigious and large-scale sporting events, bringing together the strongest chess players from all over the world.

The men's team of Turkmenistan in its second victory in a row and the fifth in the tournament at the 45th World Chess Olympiad, which is ongoing in Budapest. In the 8th round, it won with a score of 2.5:1.5 against the 46th seed team of Iceland (average rating - 2483), for which international grandmasters play on the first three boards, and an international master on the 4th.

The decisive contribution to the success of our team, seeded 73rd, was made by International Master Saparmyrat Atabayev and Grandmaster Meylis Annaberdiyev, who won on the first and second boards, respectively, over Vignir Vatner Stefansson and Gudmundur Kjartonsson, as well as Allayar Shirliyev, who tied on the fourth board with Hilmir Freyr Heimisson.

After this victory, the Turkmen chess players climbed another 20 steps in the tournament table, occupying 55th place among 188 men's teams with 10 points out of a possible 16, and 4 points behind the teams of Uzbekistan and Hungary, who share 2nd and 3rd place.

But the Turkmen chess players (73rd seed; average rating – 1956) after a series of successful games «slowed down». In the 8th round they lost to their opponents from Switzerland (21st seed; average rating – 2282) – 1:3 and with 10 points out of 16 possible dropped from 25th place in the table to 37th among 169 women's teams.

Vice-champion of Turkmenistan Lala Shohradova (personal rating – 2030) played a draw on the first board with the nominated for the title of the best chess player in the history of chess, former world champion, international grandmaster Alexandra Kostenyuk (personal rating – 2483), although during the game she had an advantage and a good chance to inflict her first defeat in the tournament on her famous opponent. According to the coach of the Turkmenistan national team Mergen Kakabayev, «at the decisive moments of the game Lala played too cautiously and lost the advantage». In fairness, it should be noted that in this game, 18-year-old Lala demonstrated an accuracy level of 95.9%, which corresponds to the grandmaster level.

Meryem Agajanova (2nd board; rating – 2007) also drew her game against FIDE Master Lena Georgescu (2266). But Leyla Shohradova and Jahan Rejepova, who played on the 3rd and 4th boards, unfortunately lost to Sofia Gryzlova and the European Champion under 16 Maria Manko, respectively. Jahan made a gross mistake already in the opening, and Leyla, having an advantage, miscalculated when approaching time trouble.

In the next, 9th round, the men's team of Turkmenistan will play against the Canadian team (seeded number 50; average rating - 2468), which is in 42nd place and has made several surprises at the 2024 Olympics, having won against the New Zealand team the day before - 3:1. And our women's team will meet with opponents from Montenegro (seeded number 42; average rating - 2142), who in the previous round won against the chess players of Algeria - 2.5:1.5 and currently occupy the 34th place in the tournament table.

The Indian team continues to hold the lead in the men's overall standings, not knowing defeats yet. And in the women's category, the Indian chess players suffered their first defeat from Poland - 1.5:2.5, and now there is a triumvirate here. India, Poland and Kazakhstan have 14 points out of 16.

Turkmenistan national team and Ashgabat “Altyn Asyr” striker Murat Annayev made history by scoring the first goal for Central Asian teams in the group stage of the 2024/2025 AFC Champions League 2. This achievement was significant not only for “Altyn Asyr”, but also for the entire region, represented in the two most important AFC club tournaments – the AFC Elite Champions League and the AFC Champions League 2.

The historic moment came in the 70th minute of the away match against Iraqi Air Force in Baghdad. Annayev equalized the score after converting an assist from Hoshgeldy Hojovov. Despite the heroic efforts of the 31 years old forward, the match ended with a 2-1 victory for the home team when Hiran Ahmed scored the decisive goal two minutes before the end of regulation time.

Annayev's goal was the only bright spot for the Central Asian teams participating in the group stage of both the AFC Elite Champions League and the AFC Champions League 2.

Other representatives of the region were unable to distinguish themselves: Tashkent's “Pakhtakor” lost to “Al-Wasl” from the UAE (0:1), Dushanbe's “Istiklol” lost to “Al-Sharjah” from the UAE (0:1), and Karshi's “Nasaf” and Kulyab's “Ravshan” played to a 0:0 draw with “Al-Kuwait” and “Mohun Bagan”, respectively.

Turkmenistan is beginning active preparation of national teams for the XXXIV Summer Olympic and XVIII Summer Paralympic Games, which will be held in Los Angeles (USA) in 2028. This decision was made at an extended meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers chaired by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

As reported by the State News Agency of Turkmenistan, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Bayramgul Orazdurdyeva proposed to create an Organizing Committee and develop a program for the comprehensive training of athletes. The plan includes organizing training sessions and camps at the Olympic village in Ashgabat and the sports complex in the “Avaza” National Tourist Zone.

President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the development of physical education and sports at the global level, as well as the successful participation of Turkmen athletes in major international competitions are priorities of state policy. He instructed to continue work in this direction, noting the importance of timely preparation for the upcoming Games.

At the recent 2024 Olympics in Paris, Turkmenistan was represented by 6 athletes in various disciplines: judokas Serdar Rahimov and Maysa Pardayeva, weightlifter Davranbek Hasanbayev, swimmers Musa Zhalayev and Aynura Primova, track and field athlete Valentina Meredova. At the Paralympic Games in Paris, Turkmen athlete Mayagozel Ekeyeva competed in para-powerlifting.

Particularly noteworthy is the historic achievement of Turkmenistan at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where Polina Guryeva, under the guidance of the head coach of the national team Artur Emiryan, won the first and so far only Olympic medal in the history of independent Turkmenistan – silver in weightlifting in the weight category up to 59 kilograms. Her total result in the biathlon was a record 217 kilograms.

Thus, preparations for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles are becoming an important stage in the development of sports in Turkmenistan, aimed at strengthening the country's position in the international sports arena and repeating, and possibly exceeding, the previous achievements of Turkmen athletes.

The Turkmenistan U-20 national team arrived in Uzbekistan for training camps ahead of the 2025 Asian Cup qualifying matches.

The training camps, led by head coach Dovletmyrat Annayev, will last in Uzbekistan until September 23, after which the team will travel to Kyrgyzstan to participate in the qualifying matches.

Turkmenistan is in Group "I", where they will face Japan on September 25, Kyrgyzstan on September 27, and Myanmar on September 29.

These matches are crucial for the Turkmen team, as they have never previously qualified for the U-20 Asian Cup.

To advance to the final stage of the continental tournament, which will be held in China, the Turkmen team needs to finish first in their group or be one of the five best second-placed teams.

Before the qualifying matches, the Turkmenistan national team held a series of friendly matches in Spain, including a draw with the Wales youth team (2:2) and matches against the Faroe Islands team (1:3) and FC Real Murcia (0:1).

The International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) has updated the ranking of national teams. Turkmenistan has moved up two positions and now ranks 142nd.

The current world champions Argentina are still the leaders of the ranking. The second place is occupied by the French team, and the third place is occupied by the Spanish team.

The Japanese team leads the Asian ranking, followed by Iran, the Republic of Korea, Australia and Qatar.

Football club “Roma” has announced the resignation of Daniele De Rossi as head coach of the team. The decision was made by the club's management after the team scored only 3 points in the first four rounds of the Italian championship, ending up in 16th place in the standings, TASS reports.

In a statement, the club said the decision was taken in the best interests of the team to get it back on track. “Roma” thanked De Rossi for his work, enthusiasm and dedication in recent months.

De Rossi, 41, took over at “Roma” only recently, on January 16 this year, replacing Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho.

Before starting his coaching career, De Rossi was a legendary player of “Roma”, playing for the club from 2002 to 2019. During this time, he played 616 matches, scored 63 goals and made 60 assists. Together with the team, he won the Italian Cup twice and the Italian Super Cup once.

De Rossi also has extensive experience playing for the Italian national team, where he played 117 games, scored 21 goals and made 5 assists. His greatest achievement with the national team was winning the 2006 World Cup.

Turkmen 'Altyn Asyr' lost to Iraqi 'Air Force' in the first round of the AFC Champions League 2. The match took place in Baghdad and ended in favor of the home team with a score of 2:1.

'Air Force' players opened the scoring in the 50th minute thanks to a goal by Carlos Salazar. However, the Turkmen team did not give up, and in the 70th minute, Murat Annayev equalized the score. It seemed the match would end in a draw, but two minutes before the end of regular time, Hiran Ahmed put 'Air Force' ahead, setting the final score at 2:1.

The situation for 'Altyn Asyr' worsened in added time when Dovletgeldi Mirsultanov, who came on as a substitute in the second half, received a red card in the 96th minute.

In a parallel match of Group B, Saudi 'Al-Taawoun' defeated Bahraini 'Al-Hidd' away with a score of 3:2. After the first round, 'Air Force' and 'Al-Taawoun' topped the group with 3 points each, while 'Altyn Asyr' and 'Al-Hidd' remained without points.

In the second round of the tournament, 'Altyn Asyr' will face 'Al-Hidd,' and 'Air Force' will play against 'Al-Taawoun.'

On September 18, a ceremony of handing over uniforms and special equipment for taekwondo from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the National Taekwondo Center of Turkmenistan was held in Ashgabat. In total, about 180 pieces of equipment were donated, including taekwondo uniforms, helmets, breastplates, arm and leg protection, and gloves.

The event was held in the indoor track and field complex of the Olympic Village. The sports equipment was donated with the support of the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation.

Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Ji Kyu-Taek, who was present at the ceremony, assured of continued efforts to popularize taekwondo in Turkmenistan. Director of the National Taekwondo Center Bashim Rozyev expressed gratitude for the support provided.

It is worth noting that cooperation in the field of taekwondo between the two countries has a long history. Since 2010, a taekwondo tournament for the Cup of the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea has been held annually in Turkmenistan. This year the competition took place on August 24-25, attracting more than 180 participants.