Turkmenistan's national belt wrestling team Alysh won 14 medals at an international tournament held at the Martial Arts Sports Complex in the Olympic town of Ashgabat, TDH reports.

Turkmen athletes have won 4 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze medals.

The tournament, which brought together representatives of 13 countries from Europe and Asia, was held as part of a program of events dedicated to the status of Ashgabat as the "City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth", awarded to the Turkmen capital by the decision of the Council of CIS Heads of Government in May 2024.

Turkmen athletes Sylapberdi Nuryev (up to 80 kg), Annagurbanallaberdiyev (up to 90 kg), Palvan Gurbangeldiyev (up to 100 kg) and Davut Nazarov (over 100 kg) won gold medals in alysh wrestling.

Silver medals were awarded to Abdyresul Durdyev (up to 60 kg), Kervengeldi Dzhumagylydzhov (up to 80 kg), Nobatgeldi Nazarov (up to 100 kg), Zohre Gurbanmyradova (up to 60 kg) and Ainura Fayzullayeva (up to 65 kg).

Bronze medals were awarded to Umyt Garagulov (up to 60 kg), Azymukhammet Orazmukhammedov (up to 70 kg), Kuvvat Khodjamberdiev (up to 90 kg), Khesel Orazgeldiyeva (up to 55 kg) and Patma Garajayeva (up to 70 kg).

The opening ceremony of the International tournament in national wrestling Goresh and belt wrestling Alysh, which is attended by athletes from 13 countries of Europe and Asia, took place in the Turkmen capital. This event became a new vivid evidence of the transformation of Ashgabat into a recognized international sports center, broad support from the World Federations of Goresh (WGF) and Alysh (WAF), implemented under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Hero-Arkadaga, a targeted strategy for the development of physical culture and sports, which stands for one of the priority directions of Turkmenistan's state policy.

In the era of the Renaissance of a new era of a powerful state, Russian sport has reached qualitatively new frontiers. As a member of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia, our State makes a worthy contribution to the development of the international Olympic movement. Realizing its sports potential for the sake of peace and friendship, Turkmenistan systematically strengthens and increases international cooperation.

An eloquent confirmation of the appreciation of our country's successes in the development of sports and the promotion of the values of physical culture and recreation movement was the announcement of June 3 as World Bicycle Day on the initiative of Turkmenistan, as well as the unanimous adoption of Resolutions of the UN General Assembly "Integration of mass cycling into public transport systems to achieve sustainable development" and "United Nations Friendship Games".

In 2017, the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games were held in Ashgabat with great success, bringing together more than 5,000 of the strongest athletes from 62 countries, including Oceania, and in 2018, the Amul–Khazar 2018 International Rally, which ran along the route of the historic Great Silk Road, and The World Weightlifting Championships.

In June 2023, the Turkmen capital became the venue for the Central Asian Men's and girls' under-12 Tennis Team Championship for the second time, in which the title of the strongest was contested by young athletes from six countries – Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. And in November of the same year, the 14th Kurash World Wrestling Championship with the participation of athletes from 45 countries of four continents ended triumphantly for the Turkmen national team in the Martial Arts Sports Complex of the Olympic Town, in which domestic athletes in 15 weight categories won 15 medals – 5 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze.

Thanks to the large-scale multidimensional work carried out, the Turkmen capital has gained a high reputation in the international arena as a rapidly developing center of world sports, which has all the conditions for holding competitions of the highest level. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the announcement of Ashgabat as the "City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth" at the regular meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of Government held on May 24, 2024 in the Turkmen capital was a sign of special trust in Turkmenistan from the international sports community, recognition of our country's achievements in the development and popularization of physical culture and sports, and strengthening international cooperation in this field. In the same year, the Tennis Complex of the Ashgabat Olympic Town was recognized by the Asian Tennis Federation as the "Training Center of the Asian region." 

And now Ashgabat is organizing another representative competition – the International Tournament in national Wrestling Goresh and belt Wrestling Alysh, which is attended by athletes from Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Belarus, Georgia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. In order to hold the competitions at a high level, the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Physical Culture and Sports established a working group, which included representatives of ministries and departments, and approved a plan of relevant events.

National goresh and belt alysh are types of wrestling that have ancient historical roots and embody the heroic spirit, courage and sports culture of the Turkmen and their friendly peoples. These types of martial arts are not just a sporting hobby, but also an integral part of the cultural heritage of peoples, glorifying noble traditions passed down from generation to generation.

Specialists of the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Physical Culture and Sports, in cooperation with the World Goresh Federation, whose headquarters are located in Ashgabat, are consistently working to further spread the Turkmen national wrestling in different parts of the world.

In March 2017, the European Goresh Federation was established in the Republic of Lithuania. And already on April 29 – May 2, in the city of Novi Sad of the Serbian Republic, for the first time in the history of the continent, the European Championship in Turkmen goresh was organized with the participation of wrestlers from 10 countries - Belarus, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine and Russia. In May 2017, Cape Town (South Africa) hosted the First African Championship in Turkmen National Wrestling, which was also included as a separate sport in the program of the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, held in September 2017 in Ashgabat.

The venue for the opening ceremony of the International National Wrestling Tournament Goresh and Belt Wrestling Alysh was the Martial Arts Sports Complex, part of the infrastructure of the capital's Olympic Campus, built on the initiative of the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to host the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. Now the largest sports facility in the Central Asian region is used for major competitions, as well as for training athletes and classes for anyone who wants to improve their health.

The organization of these competitions was preceded by serious, responsible and comprehensive training on the part of the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports, the Belt Wrestling Federation of Turkmenistan and the World Goresh Federation. The necessary conditions have been created in the capital's Olympic campus for athletes and everyone involved in these prestigious competitions, as well as for guests and fans. 100 volunteers from higher educational institutions of the country have been trained.

On the day of the start of the international tournament, its participants got acquainted with the exhibition that opened in the lobby of the Martial Arts Sports Complex, demonstrating the numerous achievements of Turkmen athletes. The opening ceremony of the International Goresh National Wrestling and Alysh Belt Wrestling Tournaments took place here in the afternoon.

The welcoming Address of the President of Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedov, is read out in a solemn atmosphere, in which it is noted that our ancestors, who lived in the heart of the Great Silk Road – on the ancient Turkmen land, attached special importance to wrestling in the context of educating a physically strong and strong-minded generation, and also formed a kind of national wrestling training school. Today, along with national wrestling goresh, much attention is paid to other disciplines of this sport, including belt wrestling alysh.

"The Turkmen, who wholeheartedly protected their heritage – national wrestling, have been honing their skills for many centuries, making a significant contribution to the formation and development of wrestling as a separate sport. Today, the art of wrestling of our people is consistently improving," the head of state stressed, expressing confidence that the current significant event in the sports chronicle of Turkmenistan will significantly strengthen international targeted cooperation, triumphantly establish peace and friendship, promote and popularize the principles of the Olympic movement, as well as enhance the skills and experience of athletes in national wrestling goresh and belt wrestling. alysh.

The welcoming Address of the President of Turkmenistan was listened to with great enthusiasm and met with thunderous applause.

Then Shohrat Mammadov, Chairman of the Belt Wrestling Federation of Turkmenistan (BWFT), and Adilet Bayaman uulu, President of the Alysh World Federation (WAF), addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. Expressing sincere gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero Arkadag, for their great attention to the development of sports and, in particular, belt wrestling, as well as for the opportunity to hold representative major competitions at a high level, the heads of sports organizations cordially congratulated the participants of the tournament on its start and wished them a successful performance.

Gold medals were won by Ashyrmyrat Amandurdiyev (up to 57 kg), Yakup Babayev (up to 62 kg), Ylas Begmyradov (up to 68 kg), Agayusup Garayev (up to 75 kg), Sylapberdi Nuryev (up to 82 kg), Annagurbanallaberdiyev (up to 90 kg), Palvan Gurbangeldiyev (up to 100 kg), Nurmukhammet Baydogdiyev (over 100 kg).

Silver medals in our team were awarded to Mukhammetarslan Geldiyev (up to 57 kg), Atageldi Tejendurdiyev (up to 75 kg), Dovran Dzhumadurdiyev (up to 82 kg), Begli Khojammayev (up to 100 kg) and Ovezgeldi Berdiyev (over 100 kg). Palvan Akmyradov (up to 68 kg) became the bronze medalist.

Thus, following the results of the first day of the tournament, the national team of Turkmenistan won 14 medals (8 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze). The second place in the medal standings with 2 silver and 3 bronze medals is taken by the Kyrgyz team, and the third place is taken by the athletes of Afghanistan, who have 1 silver and 5 bronze medals. Wrestlers from Uzbekistan won three bronze medals and representatives of Azerbaijan, India, Iran and Mongolia each won one.

On April 24, belt wrestling masters Alysh will compete for medals, who will compete for 10 sets of awards – six for men and four for women.

The main national futsal tournament of 2025 – the Turkmenistan Super League – kicked off in Ashgabat with three matches.

Six futsal clubs are competing for the title of Turkmenistan champion. Three of them – “Kopetdag”, “Senagatbank”, and “Migration” – represent Ashgabat; two – “Denizchi” and “TCOR” from Turkmenbashi – represent Balkan velayat; and “Ahal” represents Ahal velayat.

According to the tournament regulations, the participants will play each other in four round-robin stages, with the winner to be decided in November. Matches will be held not only in Ashgabat but also at modern sports complexes in Balkan velayat.

In the opening match of the Turkmenistan Futsal Super League, “Kopetdag” secured a convincing victory over TCOR with a score of 9:4. The other two matches ended in identical 1:1 draws: “Denizchi” vs. “Ahal” and “Senagatbank” vs. “Migration”.

Thus, after the first round, “Kopetdag” leads with 3 points. “Denizchi”, “Ahal”, “Senagatbank”, and “Migration” each trail by 2 points.

Dear participants of the international competition!

Dear guests!

I sincerely congratulate you on the opening of the International Tournament in Goresh National Wrestling and Alysh Belt Wrestling, held on the hospitable Turkmen land in 2025 - the International Year of Peace and Trust!

I am confident that this significant event in the sports history of Turkmenistan will significantly strengthen international targeted cooperation, triumphantly establish peace and friendship, promote and popularize the principles of the Olympic movement, and also improve the skills and experience of athletes in Goresh National Wrestling and Alysh Belt Wrestling.

We in Turkmenistan attach great importance not only to the development of the mass physical culture and health movement, but also to high-performance sports through the training of strong athletes, coaches and specialized specialists. At the same time, following the noble path of our ancestors, we consider sports as an important area of ​​cooperation with different countries of the planet and as an effective tool for strengthening the bonds of friendship between peoples.

Dear participants of the tournament!

In the era of the Revival of the new era of a powerful state, multi-purpose stadiums, physical culture and health centers, sports schools and other facilities are consistently built and put into operation throughout the country - in the velayats, in our capital Ashgabat and the city of Arkadag.

By making relevant initiatives on the sidelines of the United Nations, our independent neutral state, being a member of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia, makes a significant contribution to strengthening international cooperation in the field of sports and promoting the Olympic movement. Necessary conditions and opportunities are being created in Turkmenistan for holding the Asian Games, continental championships and world championships at a high level.

The wide support of our reforms in the field of sports in the international arena is evidenced by the adoption of the Resolution "United Nations Friendship Games" at the initiative of Turkmenistan at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the announcement of Ashgabat at the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS as "The City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth", as well as the Tennis Complex in the structure of the Olympic Village as the "Educational and Training Center of the Asian Region" - the Asian Tennis Federation.

Dear participants of the international tournament!

Our ancestors, who lived in the heart of the Great Silk Road - on the ancient Turkmen land, attached special importance to wrestling in the context of raising a physically strong and spiritually strong generation, and also formed a unique national school for training wrestlers.

The Turkmens, who wholeheartedly protected their heritage - national wrestling, honed their skills for many centuries, making a significant contribution to the formation and development of wrestling as a separate sport. Today, the art of wrestling of our people is consistently improving.

Along with the national wrestling Goresh, much attention is paid to other disciplines of this sport, including Alysh belt wrestling. Our athletes successfully compete in international competitions in Goresh national wrestling and Alysh belt wrestling.

Dear participants of the international competition!

Dear guests!

I am convinced that during the International Tournament in Goresh national wrestling and Alysh belt wrestling held in the Sports Complex of the capital's Olympic City on the occasion of the announcement of Ashgabat as the "City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth", foreign guests will be able to directly experience the hospitality of the Turkmen people, which will leave them with pleasant memories of our sunny country.

Once again, I sincerely congratulate you on the opening of the International Tournament in Goresh national wrestling and Alysh belt wrestling. May this sports festival increase friendship, health and high spirit on the planet!

I wish you good health, prosperity, great success in sports and in life!

President of Turkmenistan
Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

The Turkmenistan national hockey team defeated the Bosnia and Herzegovina team with a score of 3:1 (1:1, 0:0, 2:0) in the opening match of the World Championship in the third division of Group A.

The match took place in Istanbul. Musa Annasaparov (5th minute), Kerven Baylyev (47) and Dovlet Khydyrov (50) scored goals for the Turkmen team.

In other matches of the game day, the Kyrgyzstan team defeated the South African team (5:2), and the tournament hosts, the Turks, defeated the Luxembourg team (7:1).

The third division tournament of Group A is being held in Istanbul from April 21 to 27. Six teams are taking part in the competition: Turkmenistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Africa, Luxembourg, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.

Ilyas Veliyev’s team will play their next match against the Turkish team on April 22. The match starts at 22:00 Ashgabat time. Then the Turkmen team will play against Luxembourg (April 24), Kyrgyzstan (April 25) and South Africa (April 27).

The Turkmenistan national hockey team will play its first match at the 2025 World Championship today in the third-strongest division of group “A” against the team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The match will take place at the Istanbul Ice Arena and will begin at 18:30 Ashgabat time.

The tournament in the third division of group “A” is taking place from April 21 to 27 in Istanbul. In addition to the Turkmen hockey players and the Bosnia and Herzegovina team, the competition will feature teams from South Africa, Luxembourg, Kyrgyzstan and the hosts of the ice, the Turkish team.

According to the tournament schedule, the Turkmen team will play its second match against the Turkish team on April 22 at 22:00 Ashgabat time.

Then there will be matches with Luxembourg (April 24, 15:00), Kyrgyzstan (April 25, 15:00) and South Africa (April 27, 18:30).

The Turkmenistan national team won 14 medals at the 1st Thailand Kickboxing World Cup 2025 tournament held in Bangkok. This was reported to Turkmenportal by the Kickboxing Federation of Turkmenistan.

The Turkmen athletes have 7 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze medals. In the overall team standings, the Turkmenistan national team took 8th place.

The Turkmen delegation included 13 athletes under the leadership of head coach Orazmuhammet Komekov, who also added a silver medal to the team's medal collection in the 91 kg weight category in the K-1 discipline.

The winners of gold medals were Nurmuhammet Dzhoraev (up to 57 kg, Kick-light), Kirill Voevodin (up to 57 kg, Low-kick), Khangeldy Atabaev (up to 51 kg, Low-kick), Akmyrat Akmyradov (up to 67 kg, Low-kick), Guvanch Makhmudov (up to 54 kg, K-1), Guvanch Babaev (up to 51 kg, K-1) and Mukhammetali Orazmukhammedov (up to 37 kg, Creative form).

In addition to Komekov, silver medals were won by Rashit Geldymammedov (up to 63.5 kg, K-1), Ykhlas Baev (up to 60 kg, Low-kick) and Mukhammetali Orazmukhammedov (up to 37 kg, Musical form).

Bronze medals were brought to the national team by Agamyrat Amangeldyev, Geldymuhammet Khodzhalyev (up to 81 kg, Low-kick) and Mukhammetali Orazmuhammedov (up to 37 kg, Point fighting).

About 800 athletes from about 40 countries took part in the competitions held under the auspices of the International Kickboxing Federation WAKO. They competed in the disciplines of Full Contact, Low Kick, K-1, Kick Light, Light Contact and Point Fighting.

According to the Kickboxing Federation of Turkmenistan, more than 5 thousand people are currently involved in this sport in the country, and the number of international awards for Turkmen kickboxers increases annually.

Footballers of "Arkadag" beat Balkanabat "Nebitchi" with a score of 1:0 in the away match of the 7th round of the championship of Turkmenistan among clubs of the Higher League.

The goal in the 77th minute of the match was scored by Didar Durdyev.

"Arkadag" rose to fourth place in the standings of the championship of Turkmenistan, having scored 9 points in three matches. "Nebitchi" with 8 points in seven matches is in fifth place.

The rival of the Turkmen "Arkadag" in the AFC Challenge League finals will be the Cambodian club "Svai Rieng" from the city of the same name in the south-east of the country, the correspondent of Turkmenportal reports.

On Thursday evening, in the second semi-final match of the tournament, the Cambodian team drew with Indonesian Madura United (3-3), but reached the final thanks to a 3-0 home victory.

Arkadag defeated Kuwait's Al-Arabi 3-0 in the second leg of the 1/2 final of the Challenge League on Wednesday.

The final of the tournament will be held on May 10 at the Svai Rieng Stadium, the game will start at 17:00 Ashgabat time.

Anna Charyeva and Jahan Rejepova brought Turkmenistan two bronze medals at the World Junior Rapid Chess Championship, which was held from April 13 to 15 in the Greek city of Rhodes, the press service of the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan reports.

In the U8 girls category, Anna Charyeva scored 8 points out of 11 possible, losing only to the champion from Kazakhstan, Alisha Bissalieva, and the silver medalist from India, Anvi Diipak.

Jahan Rejepova, competing in the U16 girls category, also scored 8 points. In the second round, she defeated the future tournament champion, Elnaz Kaliakhmet from Kazakhstan, and was leading after five rounds. Despite losses in the sixth and seventh rounds, Jahan managed to pull herself together and finish in the top three.

Other Turkmen chess players also showed decent results. Leyla Shokhradova in the U18 girls category took fifth place, losing the bronze medal only due to additional indicators. Nurana Soyunova in the U12 girls category finished the tournament in seventh place.

The performance of 6-year-old Hangeldy Muradov, the youngest participant out of all 433 athletes from 48 countries, deserves special attention. In the U8 boys category, he scored 6.5 points out of 11 possible and took 12th place among 48 participants.

On April 16, a blitz tournament started in Rhodes, where Turkmen chess players have a good chance to repeat or improve their results.

Turkmen Arkadag defeated Kuwaiti Al-Arabi in the return semi-final match of the AFC Challenge League.

The match took place at the stadium in the city of Arkadag and ended with a score of 3:0 in favor of the hosts. Shanazar Tirkishov scored a double for the winners (7th and 90+4th minutes), and Altymurad Annadurdiyev (58) scored another goal.

In the first match, which took place on April 9 in Kuwait City, Vladimir Bayramov’s team lost with a score of 0:2.

Based on the sum of the two matches, Arkadag reached the final of the AFC Challenge League.

The tournament final will be held on May 10, Arkadag’s opponent will be determined on April 17 in the match between Preah Khan Rich Svay Rieng (Cambodia) and Madura United (Indonesia).

The United Nations Friendship Games 2025 have commenced at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York.

This event marks the beginning of a large-scale sporting initiative, conducted by the Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the UN within the framework of the proclamation of 2025 as the "International Year of Peace and Trust" in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 78/325, entitled "United Nations Friendship Games".

The Games have brought together diplomatic missions in New York, staff members of the UN Secretariat and specialized agencies. This year the Games gathered over 800 participants from 110 countries worldwide.

On the very first day of competition, participants in the group matches of the football tournament demonstrated a high level of team spirit, fair play, and an atmosphere of sports diplomacy.

On April 9th, competitions in yoga, chess, and running were held. On the North Lawn of UN Headquarters, representatives from various countries and institutions competed in intellectual and physical disciplines, underscoring the main objective of the Games – the strengthening of peace and trust.

On April 13th, spectators observed the badminton tournament.
The Games will continue until mid-May with upcoming competitions in basketball, tennis, volleyball, and table tennis. The Games will conclude with a celebratory Closing Ceremony and the awarding of prizes to the winners.

Information regarding the United Nations Friendship Games is available on the official website of the Games.