The Talip Sport basketball team of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports has won a landslide victory in the national championship without losing a single match. The tournament was held in Ashgabat from December 17 to December 22.

Six teams took part in the competitions, which were hosted by the site of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports.

The silver medals were won by the Milli Goshun team representing the Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan. The bronze medalists were the basketball players of the team "Gurlushykchy" of the Ministry of Construction and Architecture of Turkmenistan.

Czech Martin Macik in a Toyota won the second stage of the Dakar rally marathon, which is taking place in Saudi Arabia, in the truck category.

He covered the 967 km special stage, which took place over two days, in 12 hours 10 minutes 51 seconds. Next came his compatriot Aleš Loprais (Iveco; 9 minutes 43 seconds behind) and Lithuanian Vaidotas Zala (Iveco; +18.52).

In the SUV category, the best in the stage was Saudi Arabian Yazeed Al-Rajhi (10:56.54) in a Toyota, second place went to South African Henk Lategan (+4.16) in a Toyota, and third place went to Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah (+6.29) in a Dacia.

Among the ATVs in the SSV class, the American Brok Heger (Polaris, 11:57.43) won the stage, followed by Frenchman Xavier de Soultre (Polaris, +7.26) and Portuguese Alexandre Pinto (BRP, +38.08). In the Challenger class, the winner was Dutchman Paul Spierings (Taurus, +11:57.48), Argentinean Nicolas Cavigliasso (Taurus, +0.02) finished second, and American Corbin Leaverton (Taurus, +3.01) came in third.

In the motorcycle classification, the stage was won by Australian Daniel Sanders (KTM, 11:12.13), American Skyler House (Honda, +7.37) came in second, and Spaniard Tosha Scareina (Honda, +7.41) came in third.

The overall standings for trucks are led by Macik (17:24.29), SUVs by Lategan (15:40.30), SSV by de Soultre (16:57.52), Challenger by Cavigliasso (16:45.02), and motorcycles by Sanders (16:10.31).

Rovshen Meredov took up the post of technical director of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, the organization's press service reported.

Meredov began his playing career in 1999 in the “Nebitchi” team. In subsequent years, he played for the clubs “Dagdan”, “Galkan”, “Ahal” and “Yedigen”.

After finishing his playing career, Rovshen Meredov switched to coaching. With a PRO license, he headed Ashgabat's “Yedigen” and “Ahal” from Anau from 2013 to 2020.

Under his leadership, the teams repeatedly became prize winners of the national championship. In 2017, “Ahal” won the Turkmenistan Cup.

A significant achievement in Meredov's career was “Yedigen's” victory in the AFC President's Cup in 2014.

In the 2020 season, the specialist coached “Kyzylkum”, and in 2022, “Kaganat”.

Since 2020, Meredov has held the position of FIFA Technical Expert in the Global Football Development Department, where he works under the supervision of renowned football specialist Arsene Wenger.

The Turkmenistan Championship in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling has ended in Turkmenbashy.

In the final freestyle wrestling match in the weight category up to 79 kg, Alp Arslan Begenjov won the gold medal, defeating Ashir Kakamyradov. Abray Shatlykov won the bronze medal in this category.

Let us remind that in September 2024, Alp Arslan Begenjov already became the world champion among wrestlers under 20 years old at the youth championship in Pontevedra, Spain.

The football club Surkhan, which competes in the Uzbekistan championship, will be the opponent of the Turkmen club Ahal at the training camp, reports Championat.Asia.

The match will take place on February 2 in Turkey, where Velsakhet Ovezov's team will hold their winter training camp.

Last week, the winter transfer window opened in the Turkmenistan football championship. It will last until February 28, during which time Premier League clubs will be able to register new players, reports the Football Federation of Turkmenistan

Belarusian club Vitebsk announced the extension of the contract with the defender of the national team of Turkmenistan, Vepa Jumayev, according to the press service of the football club.

The agreement with the 24-year-old footballer will be valid until the winter of 2025. Vepa Jumayev joined Vitebsk in February 2024 from Energetik-BGU. Last season, he spent 397 minutes on the field in the Belarusian championship and provided one assist.

Vitebsk finished 5th in the Belarusian championship, scoring 47 points. The championship title was won by Dinamo Minsk (68 points).

On Friday, January 3, the 47th edition of the Dakar Rally officially began in the city of Bisha, located in Saudi Arabia. This marks the start of the world’s largest and most enduring motorsport race – the Dakar Rally 2025.

The rally consists of several stages, each offering a unique test of strength and endurance. Participants will face thousands of kilometers across challenging terrain, including deserts and mountainous regions. The drivers will compete in extreme conditions, showcasing their skill and resilience.

On the first day of the competition, a preliminary stage took place for off-road vehicles. The fastest time was set by South African driver Henk Lategan, representing the Toyota team. In second place was Swedish driver Mattias Ekström (Ford), followed by Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, competing for the Dacia team.

In the motorcycle category, the best time was recorded by Australian rider Daniel Sanders. The Rally “Dakar-2025” will conclude on January 17, in Shubayt.

AC Milan won the Italian Super Cup by achieving a come-from-behind victory with a score of 3-2 against Inter Milan. The derby took place on Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The 'Rossoneri' managed to recover from a two-goal deficit and secured the first trophy for their new head coach, Sérgio Conceição.

The match started poorly for Milan – Lautaro Martínez put Inter ahead before the break, and at the beginning of the second half, Mehdi Taremi doubled the 'Nerazzurri's' lead. However, the 'Rossoneri' did not give up and began their pursuit of the opponent. Theo Hernández reduced the deficit in the 52nd minute, and ten minutes before the end of regular time, Christian Pulisic equalized. The climax came in added time when Tammy Abraham scored the winning goal.

This victory was particularly significant for Milan – the team won their eighth Super Cup in history and their first since 2016. Notably, this success came in just the second match under the leadership of their new head coach, Sérgio Conceição.

The women's futsal team of Turkmenistan, led by head coach Kamil Mingazov, has arrived in Tashkent to participate in the 2025 Asian Cup qualifying tournament. The team consists of 15 players, including 5 foreign players.

According to the draw results, the Turkmen team is in Group C, where they will face the teams of Uzbekistan, Australia, the Philippines, and Kuwait. Mingazov's team will play their first match on January 11 against the Australian team.

All Group C matches will be held in Tashkent from January 11 to 19. To advance to the final part of the tournament, which will take place in May 2025 in China, the team needs to finish in one of the top two places in the group. Additionally, one best team among those finishing third will also have a chance to advance to the final stage.

The roster of the Turkmenistan team:

Goalkeepers: Aisha Amanberdiyeva – "Dudullu" (Turkey), Malika Eminova – (Lebap Region)

Field players: Maya Musatskaya – "Žalgiris" (Lithuania), Surai Mamedsahatova – "Torpedo MAI" (Russia), Maria Khmyrova – "Aydin" University (Turkey), Lale Haipova – "Bilgi" University (Turkey), Maria Chariyeva (captain), Kamila Mingazova, Jeren Mamedova, Jemile Babaeva, Amalia Karapetyants, Edjegul Durdiyeva, Malika Mamedova, Leyli Atajanova (all – "Altyn Tach", Ashgabat), Pervana Kurbanova – ("Yildiz", Dashoguz Region).

Schedule of matches for the Turkmenistan team:

January 11:

15:00 Turkmenistan – Australia

January 15:

15:00 Philippines – Turkmenistan

January 17:

15:00 Turkmenistan – Kuwait

January 19:

18:00 Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan

At Anfield, a match of the 20th round of the English Championship took place between the footballers of Manchester United and Liverpool. The match ended in a draw – 2:2.

For the home team, Cody Gakpo scored in the 59th minute and Mohamed Salah converted a penalty in the 70th minute. For Manchester United, Lisandro Martinez scored in the 52nd minute and Amad Diallo in the 80th minute.

This draw allowed Manchester United to break a three-match losing streak in the English Premier League and gain 23 points, moving the team to 13th place in the standings. Liverpool ended their three-match winning streak but extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 15 matches, remaining the leader with 46 points. In the first round, the Reds defeated the Mancunians with a score of 3:0.

Milan's "Inter" defeated "Atalanta" in the semi-final match of the Italian Super Cup, which is being held in Saudi Arabia.

The match, which took place in Riyadh, ended with a score of 2-0 in favor of Inter. Both goals were scored by Denzel Dumfries in the 49th and 61st minutes.

In the final of the tournament, "Inter" will face the winner of the match between "Juventus" and "Milan", which will take place on January 3.

Inter is an eight-time and current holder of the Italian Super Cup, and under the leadership of Simone Inzaghi, the team has won the trophy for the past three consecutive years.