Turkmen athlete Bunyad Rashidov won a silver medal in the snatch at the World Weightlifting Championships in Manama (Bahrain). He achieved this success in the weight category up to 73 kg, in which 26 weightlifters competed for the awards.

In the snatch, Rashidov lifted 154 kg. However, in the clean and jerk, he showed the 16th result (163 kg) and ultimately took 15th place (321 kg). Hyun Ri Ryong (DPRK) became the world champion – 349 kg (152 + 197). Second place went to Rizki Junyansya (Indonesia) – 340 kg (150 + 190). And Zhong Zhiguang (PRC) rounded out the top three – 336 kg (152 + 197).

The Turkmenistan national weightlifting team at the world championship is represented by 8 athletes, the tournament will end on December 15.

Eight athletes will represent Turkmenistan at the World Weightlifting Championships that started in Manama, Bahrain. The tournament brought together 471 athletes (245 men and 226 women) from 92 countries.

The men's team of Turkmenistan included 7 weightlifters: Bunyad Rashidov (up to 73 kg), Bektimur Reyimov (up to 73 kg), Gaygysyz Torayev (up to 81 kg), Resul Rejepov (up to 96 kg), Shahzadbek Matyakubov (up to 102 kg), Davranbek Hasanbaev (up to 102 kg) and Atajan Daiyev (over 109 kg). And the women's team included one athlete - the 2018 world champion in the weight category up to 45 kg Yulduz Jumabayeva (up to 59 kg).

The national team of Turkmenistan was preparing for the World Weightlifting Championships in Antalya, where training camps were held under the leadership of head coach Mansur Rejepov.

The Turkmenistan national football team will play in group “D” in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying tournament with the teams of Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka.

The draw for the qualifying tournament took place today at the headquarters of the Asian Football Confederation in Kuala Lumpur. Based on its results, six groups of four teams each were formed. Each team will play six games in the group - three at home and three away.

Only the winners of the six qualifying groups will advance to the final part of the 2027 Asian Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia.

Results of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying draw:

Group “A”: Tajikistan, Philippines, Maldives, East Timor

Group “B”: Lebanon, Yemen, Bhutan, Brunei

Group “C”: India, Hong Kong (PRC), Singapore, Bangladesh

Group “D”: Thailand, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka

Group “E”: Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan

Group “F”: Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Laos

A regular meeting of the executive committee was held in the conference hall of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan. One of the key decisions was the approval of football specialist Serdar Geldyev to the post of General Secretary of the FFT, reports the FFT.

Serdar Geldyev began his career in 2005 in the Ashgabat club MTTU. Over the years, he played for the Turkmen clubs "Ashgabat", "Balkan", "Altyn Asyr" and "Ahal". In February 2020, S. Geldyev signed a one-year contract with the Malaysian club PDRM, making his debut on March 1 in a match against "Sabah".

The son of the famous Turkmen football coach Orazmuhammed Geldyev, after finishing his playing career, Serdar followed his father’s example and became a coach. Holder of a PRO level coaching license, in 2023 he headed the "Ahal" football club, which under his leadership competed in the group stage of the AFC Champions League of the 2023 season.

The volleyball team "Migration" of the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan became the winner of the Turkmenistan Volleyball Cup, organized by the National Volleyball Federation, according to the agency's website.

Military personnel of the State Migration Service are members of the national teams of Turkmenistan, regularly participate in international competitions in various sports and take prizes.

The multipurpose sports complex at the Faculty of Olympic Sports of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports is hosting competitions in innovative fields such as phygital and cybersports. The event is timed to coincide with the International Day of Neutrality.

Students from higher education institutions are participating, demonstrating their skills in phygital football, phygital basketball, phygital table tennis, phygital chess, and cybersports.

The field of cybersports, particularly phygital sports, is gaining popularity worldwide.

In 2024, the first "Games of the Future" were organized in Kazan, where representatives from our country participated. A team of 15 athletes from the Oguz Han Engineering and Technology University of Turkmenistan competed in matches of phygital football and phygital basketball. 

The current competitions will help identify promising athletes who can participate in the qualifying stages of the international "Games of the Future," scheduled for 2025 in the United Arab Emirates.

Winners in phygital disciplines and cybersports will receive prizes and certificates.

The Turkmenistan national football team will find out their opponents in the qualifying matches for the right to play in the 2027 Asian Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia, on Friday, December 9. The draw will take place in Kuala Lumpur, with the broadcast starting at 12:00 Ashgabat time.

According to the FIFA ranking, the Turkmenistan national team is in the second pot. The draw will result in six groups of four teams each. Only the group winners will advance to the final part of the 2027 Asian Cup.

The composition of the pots before the draw:

Pot 1: Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Lebanon, Vietnam, India

Pot 2: Malaysia, Turkmenistan, Philippines, Afghanistan, Hong Kong (China), Yemen

Pot 3: Singapore, Maldives, Chinese Taipei, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan

Pot 4: Brunei, Bangladesh, Laos, East Timor, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Representatives of the teams of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan, the "Turkmenawtoulaglary" agency and the Federation of Automobile Sports of Turkmenistan competed for the title of the strongest in the framework of the national championship in rally-raid for two days. The competition, organized by the Federation of Automobile Sports and the the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Physical Culture and Sports, was timed to coincide with the International Day of Neutrality celebrated all over the world on December 12.

The route of the rally, 161 km long, was laid in the Garagum desert through the territory of the Ahal and Balkan velayats. On the first day, its participants covered 138 km, and on the second – 23 km.

Winners were determined in the T2 (off-road) class and the open class.

Merdan Toylyev from the agency "Turkmenawtoulaglary" won in the SUV class on a Nissan Patrol. The next two places were taken by sportsmen of the Federation of Automobile Sports of Turkmenistan Maksatmyrat Danatarov and Meylis Avdyllaev.

In the open class, the first to finish was Charyar Charyev on a Toyota Hilux. Sportsmen of the Automobile Sports Federation of Turkmenistan Serdar Kulalyev and Yolaman Abayev took second and third places respectively.

In the year 'The Treasury of Wisdom of Magtymguly Pyragy,' competitions among students of higher educational institutions of our country in innovative areas of phygital and cybersports were organized, timed to coincide with the International Day of Neutrality. The opening ceremony was attended by teachers and students of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, as well as representatives of the country's higher educational institutions.

In the competitions organized by the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, student-athletes will compete in innovative areas of phygital sports. Participants will demonstrate their skills in phygital football, phygital basketball, phygital table tennis, phygital chess, and cybersports.

The competitions in innovative areas of phygital and cybersports will be held in the sports complex of the Faculty of Olympic Sports of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports and in the phygital sports hall.

The competitions among students of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports and higher educational institutions of the country will conclude on December 7, 2024. On this day, the results of the competitions in innovative areas of phygital and cybersports will be summed up, and the award ceremony for the winners will take place.

Football club “Arkadag” defeated “Ahal” in the match for the Turkmenistan Football Super Cup. The match took place in Balkanabat and ended with a score of 3:1 in favor of the representatives of the “smart” city.

Goals for “Arkadag” were scored by Shamammet Hydyrov (in the 14th and 29th minutes) and Shanazar Tirkishov (in the 22nd minute). Islam Annamuradov scored for “Akhal” (in the 75th minute).

Last season, “Arkadag” won the championship and the Cup of the country, and “Ahal” took part in the Super Cup as a Cup finalist.

It should be noted that “Arkadag” under the leadership of coach Vladimir Bayramov won the Turkmenistan Super Cup for the first time in its history. Bayramov has been coaching the team since December 2023. During this time, Arkadag became the champion of Turkmenistan twice (in 2023 and 2024), won the Cup (2023) and the Super Cup of the country.

In the fall of this year, Arkadag debuted on the international arena, taking first place in Group B at the group stage of the AFC Challenge League, the third most important club tournament in Asia. In the quarterfinals, the team will meet with the Indian club East Bengal. The matches will be held on March 5 and 12, 2025 in the home and away format.

The 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia could be held in January given extreme heat and the onset of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, The Times reports.

Earlier, the media reported that the International Football Federation (FIFA) may postpone the tournament to winter due to the intense summer heat in the region. The first winter World Cup was held in November - December 2022 in Qatar.

As part of the participation of the delegation of Turkmenistan in the 28th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Gurbanov met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the parties discussed the practical implementation of the agreements reached at the highest level during previous events held within the framework of the ECO.

The possibilities of further deepening partnership in the trade and economic sphere, including the fuel and energy and industrial sectors, transport and logistics were considered.

The diplomats exchanged views on the intensification of interregional contacts and cultural and humanitarian exchanges and discussed topical issues on the regional and international agenda.

Recall that on December 3, the 28th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the ECO was held in the city of Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran, in which the delegation of Turkmenistan took part.