The Turkmenistan Football Premier League is preparing for the start of the third round of the competition, which will begin on August 16. As previously reported, the tournament will continue without the participation of the Energetik team, which decided to withdraw from the championship after two rounds. Thus, eight teams remain in the fight for the title of national champion.

The Football Federation of Turkmenistan has updated the tournament table before the start of the third round. The leader of the championship after 16 matches played is Arkadag, which has scored 48 points. In second place is Altyn Asyr with 37 points, and Akhal is in third place with 34 points.

The first match of the third round will be held on August 16 between the Akhal and Ashgabat teams. The next day, August 17, two more matches will be held: Arkadag will play Shagadam, and Nebitchi will meet Kopetdag. It is worth noting that the game between Altyn Asyr and Merv has been postponed to August 27 due to the Ashgabat team’s participation in the qualification of the second Asian Champions League.

Schedule of the 19th round of the Turkmenistan Football Premier League:

August 16, "Ahal" vs. "Ashgabat"

August 17, "Arkadag" vs. "Shagadam"

August 17, "Nebitchi" vs. "Kopetdag"

Young athletes from Turkmenistan are preparing to participate in an international curling training camp, which will be held from August 16 to 24 in the Norwegian city of Lillehammer. Four juniors under the age of 16 will represent the country as part of a mixed team led by the head coach of the national team Sakina Gulamaleva.The event will bring together young curlers from 14 countries, providing a unique opportunity to exchange experiences and develop skills in this Olympic sport, "Neutral Turkmenistan" reports.

Curling, known as a team game played on ice using special granite stones, is a relatively new sport in Turkmenistan. The country's curling federation was founded only in 2020, but is already actively developing the sport and establishing international ties. Participation in the camp in Lillehammer will be an important step in the development of Turkmen curling and the training of the younger generation of athletes.

The Turkmen team included captain Emina Nurmuhammedova, assistant captain Aysha Geldimyradova, as well as Danatar Muhamov and Selim Bayramov. All of them were selected based on the results of the open championship of the Curling Federation of Turkmenistan, which took place last year.

The camp program includes seminars, trainings and friendly matches with teams from other countries, which will permit Turkmen athletes not only to improve their skills but also to gain valuable international experience. In addition, a cultural program with visits to museums and mountain hikes is provided for the participants.

In the second round of the Azerbaijan Premier League, "Turan-Tovuz" led by Kurban Berdyev defeated Sumgayit with a score of 1:0. This game was the team's first home match of the new season and the first victory for Berdyev in the Azerbaijan Championship since his appointment as head coach, azerisport.com reports.

Hayal Najafov scored the only goal in the match, ensuring victory for the home team. After the game, Kurban Berdiyev noted the difference in the team's play in the two halves, praising the activity of his players in the first half of the match. The coach also mentioned the difficulties associated with playing on artificial turf, and praised the quality of the opponent's players.

Berdiyev emphasized that the team played two matches against strong opponents and intends to improve their game.

The Turkmen football club "Altyn Asyr" is preparing for the decisive match of the qualifying round of the 2024/25 AFC Champions League. On August 14, Yazguly Hojageldiyev's team will play away against Indian "East Bengal" in Kolkata. A victory in this match will secure the Turkmen club a place in the group stage of the tournament, while a defeat will send the team to the AFC Challenge League.

"Altyn Asyr", who took second place in the last season of the Turkmenistan Premier League, is the only representative of the country in the second AFC Champions League this year. The team arrived in Kolkata in advance and has already held its first training sessions on site. According to Jankoyer, before leaving for India, the club played a friendly match with Merv in Ashgabat, winning with a score of 2:1.

"Ashgabat" completed its training camp in the United Arab Emirates, defeating the local team FC Elite Falcons with a score of 2:1 in a friendly match. This game was the final stage of the club’s preparation for the start of the third round of the national championship under the leadership of new head coach Tofik Shukurov.

Now the team returns to Turkmenistan, where on August 16 it will meet "Ahal" away in the 19th round of the Major League.

Let us note that "Ashgabat" currently ranks sixth in the standings with 16 points, while "Ahal" is in third place with 34 points.

On August 11, the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games took place in Paris.

Two and a half weeks of the main sporting event flew by quickly and almost unnoticed.

After the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach declared the competition officially closed, French swimmer Leon Marchand, Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge, Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez, Chinese tennis player Sun Yingsha, French judoka Teddy Riner, Australian swimmer Emma McKeon and boxer Cindy Ngamba from the refugee team ceremoniously blew out the Olympic flame.

After musical and choreographic numbers, as well as official speeches, the Olympic flag was handed over to the mayor's office of Los Angeles, USA. The games will be held there next time - in 2028.

Then the American anthem was performed. During the final chords, actor Tom Cruise, known for his role in the Mission Impossible films, unexpectedly appeared at the stadium.

He jumped from the roof of the building, ran onto the stage, took the Olympic flag and took it away from the hall on a motorcycle.

Thereby taking the flag for transfer to the next venue of the 2028 Olympics, Los Angeles.

The musical part of the Olympic closing ceremony included performances by famous bands and performers. Thus, the audience heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Phoenix, singer Billie Eilish and rapper Snoop Dogg.

The 2024 Olympic Games were held in Paris from July 26 to August 11. The Paralympic Games will be held from August 28 to September 8.

From August 17 to 24, the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) U17 Championship will be held in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. This was reported by the CAFA press service on its Instagram account.

Six teams will take part in the tournament: Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The teams will be divided into two groups of three participants each. The draw will take place on August 15.

Based on the results of the group stage, the teams that take first place in their groups will meet in the final to play for gold medals. The teams that take second place will compete for bronze medals.

All matches of the tournament can be watched live on the CAFA YouTube channel (@cafassociation).

The international tennis tournament Selangor Asian 14 & Under Grade A Tournament (Southeast Asia) was held in Malaysia from August 3 to 10. This was reported to a SalamNews correspondent by the Tennis Federation of Turkmenistan.

The competition was held in Bandar Baru Enstek, Negeri Sembilan state, and brought together 64 young athletes from Asia, including 32 boys and girls.

Turkmen tennis player Ilima Huseynova showed excellent results in doubles, winning second place together with a representative from Iran, Hana Shabanpour. In singles, Guseyinova reached the quarterfinals, which is also a significant achievement in such a competitive tournament.

Ilima's mentor is the head coach of the Turkmenistan national team, Mirali Gasanov, who is also a coach of the Ashgabat Tennis Academy.

First round

Ilima Guseyinova (TURKMENISTAN) / Hana Shabanpour (Iran) - Adani Azhari (Malaysia) / Naba Nishan (Maldives) - 6:2, 6:3.

Quarterfinals

Ilima Guseyinova (TURKMENISTAN) / Hana Shabanpour (Iran) - Romina Rafaiborijeni (Iran) / Beatrizia Elvina (Malaysia) - 6:0, 6:2.

Semifinals

Ilima Guseyinova (TURKMENISTAN) / Hana Shabanpour (Iran) - Seunghyun Kim / Yerin Lim (Republic of Korea) - 6:4, 1:6 (10:1).

Final

Ilima Guseyinova (TURKMENISTAN) / Hana Shabanpour (Iran) - Shivali Gurung (Nepal) / Sa'Ya Maula (Indonesia) - 3:6, 5:7.

The final stage of the PRO coaching courses of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is taking place in Ashgabat these days. This is reported by the Football Federation of Turkmenistan.

The course, which started on November 21, 2023, is a comprehensive program consisting of eight modules divided into four stages. The first six modules were successfully completed during the past and the beginning of this year.

Since July 29 of this year, the participants have started the final, seventh and eighth training modules, which include both theoretical and practical classes.

Successful completion of the exams, which will last until August 14, will allow Turkmen coaches to receive the highest qualification of football coaching — the AFC PRO license.

The course is conducted under the guidance of Gennady Skurtula, a UEFA instructor from Moldova, and AFC representatives Vilhelmus Kuvermans and Usmon Toshev are closely following the progress of the final stage.

Kuvermans, who became European champion with the Dutch national team in 1988, positively assessed the results of the course and its potential impact on the development of Turkmen football.

Turkmen striker Suleyman Mukhadov entered the field for the first time as part of the Osh Alay in the match of the 16th round of the Kyrgyz Championship against Bishkek Dordoy. The debut took place in the second half of the match, which ended in a goalless draw. The match, which took place on August 7, was one of the most anticipated in the tour and is known as the "Eldic Classico".

Earlier, Alai announced the transfer of Mukhadov before the end of the 2024 season. In the first half of the current championship, the forward played for Abdysh-Ata, where he scored four goals.

After 16 rounds, Abdysh-Ata remains the leader of the Kyrgyz Premier League with 43 points. Dordoi is in second place (38 points), followed by Muras United (30 points) and Alai (27 points).

In the next round, scheduled for August 12, Alai will host Oshma-Aldier. "Abdysh-Ata" will miss the game of the 17th round due to participation in the AFC Challenge League qualification on August 13.

The Spanish national team defeated France in the final of the men's football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games, which was held at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. The match ended 5-3 in extra time.

In the 11th minute, France midfielder Enzo Millau opened the scoring. The Spaniards quickly responded: Fermin Lopez Martin scored in the 18th minute, and seven minutes later he scored a double. In the 28th minute, Alex Baena scored from a free kick, increasing Spain's advantage. The French did not give up: in the 79th minute Magnes Akliushe reduced the gap, and in the 90th +3rd minute Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized from the penalty spot – 3:3.

In extra time, Spain's victory was brought by striker Sergio Camello, who scored in the 100th and 120+1st minutes. The tournament was held from July 24 to August 9, and Spain became the new Olympic champion, replacing the Brazilian national team, which won the last Games.

Today, on the 15th day of the Olympic Games in Paris, Turkmen weightlifter Davranbek Hasanbayev will take part in weightlifting competitions in the weight category up to 102 kg. The athlete’s performance will begin at 14:30 Ashgabat time, and it can be watched live on the official Olympic website olympics.com.

Hasanbayev won a ticket to the Olympics, taking 5th place in the combined event at the World Cup in Phuket (Thailand). He performed especially successfully in the snatch, winning a gold medal with a result of 187 kg. The athlete began his career in Dashoguz velayat and is now training under the guidance of the head coach of the national team, Mansur Rejepov.