The Turkmen football club Arkadag won a strong-willed victory over the Maldivian Maziya Sports in the first round of the group stage of the AFC Challenge League. The match, which took place at the Al Kuwait Sports Club stadium in Kuwait, ended with a score of 2:1 in favor of Arkadag.

In the first half, Maziya took the lead thanks to a precise strike by Jonathan Zorrilla in the 45th minute. However, in the second half, Arkadag managed to turn the game around: Didar Durdyev scored in the 67th minute, and Altymurat Annadurdyev scored the winning goal in the 76th minute.

Vladimir Bayramov’s team will play their next match on October 29 against the Kyrgyz Abdysh-Ata, while Maziya will face Al-Arabi.

On Saturday, October 26, at the UFC 308 tournament in Abu Dhabi, undefeated Chechen fighter Hamzat Chimaev (14-0) scored an impressive victory over former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (25-7), Sport24 reports.

Chimaev dominated from the first seconds of the fight and managed to finish the fight with a choke in the first round. This is already the eleventh early victory in the professional career of the 29-year-old fighter, who continues his confident ascent to the title fight.

“Borz” once again demonstrated his superiority in wrestling and the ability to finish fights early.

Since his debut in the UFC in 2018, Chimaev remains undefeated, which makes him one of the most promising contenders for the middleweight championship.

Turkmen athletes won 5 gold, 5 silver and 8 bronze medals at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship that ended in Heraklion, Greece.

The competition brought together more than 900 athletes from 58 countries. Turkmenistan was represented at the world championship by 52 athletes, who won 16 medals in the contact discipline and two medals in the combat discipline.

The gold’medals in the Turkmenistan team in the contact discipline were awarded to: Aminat Guvajova (weight category 45 kg), Hurma Abdyeva (48 kg), Ogulshat Nurmedova (over 70 kg), Islam Ovezov (62 kg), in the combat discipline – Gudrat Esenov (62 kg).

Silver medalists in the contact discipline were: Ainur Kullieva (48 kg), Maryam Vafaeva (63 kg), Oguldursun Azimova (52 kg), Guljan Nurgeldyeva (70 kg), Soltanmurat Nuryev 56 kg.

Bronze medalists in the contact discipline were: Surai Gokayeva (52 kg), Shikhberdy Amanov (62 kg), Eziz Yollyev (94 kg), Mirali Agayev (69 kg), Bakhtiyar Muradov (85 kg), Begli Saparov (69 kg), Jelil Hojamyradov (77 kg). Jelil Hojamyradov also won bronze in the combat discipline.

Following the results of the competition, the Turkmenistan national jiu-jitsu team also won sixth place.

Athletes of the national team of Turkmenistan won four bronze medals at the World Hand-to-Hand Combat Championship, which ended in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, the publication "Turkmenistan: Golden Age" reports.

More than 300 athletes from 34 countries took part in the competition, and Turkmenistan was represented by nine athletes.

Bronze medals in the Turkmen team were awarded to: Toyli Bazarov (up to 57 kg), Hazhyyslam Garabayov (up to 67 kg), Suleyman Allayev (up to 73 kg) and Kasym Yazmyradov (up to 86 kg).

The Turkmenistan national under-17 football team lost to the Thai team in the first round of the qualifying stage of the 2025 Asian Cup. The meeting took place in the city of Chonburi and ended in favor of the home team with a score of 2:0.

Let us remind that under the leadership of head coach Ahmet Allaberdiyev, the youth team of Turkmenistan plays in group “D”, which also includes the teams of India and Brunei.

In the next round, the Turkmenistan team will meet the Indian team on October 25.

Turkmen athlete Rahmet Taganov won a silver medal at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which is being held from October 22 to 28 in Heraklion, Greece.

This year's World Jiu-Jitsu Championship has become a unique event, as for the first time in the history of this sport, competitions for all age groups are being held in one country. The tournament features 3,500 athletes from 67 countries, making it one of the largest events in the world of jiu-jitsu.

The competitions include categories for men and women, youth, teenagers and juniors, boys and girls, as well as para-jiu-jitsu and the Children's World Cup. This variety of categories allows athletes of different ages and skill levels to showcase their abilities and compete for medals.

The players of "Arkadag" achieved two wins as reigning champions. 

In a rescheduled match of the 29th round of the national top league championship, Vladimir Bayramov's team defeated "Ahal" 2-1. The game took place at the Nisa Stadium in the capital.

This match held no tournament significance for "Arkadag", who secured the Turkmenistan championship title for the second consecutive year five rounds before the end of the national championship. However, for "Ahal", competing for silver medals, a win could have put them 3 points ahead of another contender for vice-championship, "Altyn Asyr".

The first half brought no success to either team. As soon as the second half began, the reigning champion was awarded a penalty, which Begench Akmammedov converted in the 47th minute. Scoring his 16th goal in this national championship, he entered the top three scorers.

In the 90th minute, "Ahal" equalized with a goal by Yagshysakhet Dovletgeldiyev and seemed poised to end "Arkadag's" winning streak. But it was not to be. In the 4th minute of added time, Shamammet Khydyrov scored a second goal against "Ahal", securing a 2-1 victory for his team.

This victory marked "Arkadag's" 50th in the top league since the football club was founded last year and their 26th in the current national championship. In 26 matches, the team scored 126 goals and conceded 19, leading their closest pursuers—"Altyn Asyr" and "Ahal"—by 26 points.

"Arkadag's" second victory as a two-time champion of Turkmenistan came in Dubai in a friendly match against UAE club "Al Hamriyah" with a score of 2-1 as part of preparations for the AFC Challenge League 2024/25—the third most significant Asian club tournament, featuring 18 teams divided geographically into Western and Eastern zones. Goals by Arslanmyrat Amanov (70th minute) and Shanazar Tirkishov (90+2) secured victory for our team.

According to the draw results of the AFC Challenge League 2024/25, FC "Arkadag" is in Group B with "Maziya Sports and Recreation" from Maldives, "Abdysh-Ata" from Kyrgyzstan, and "Al-Arabi" from Kuwait. All matches will take place in Kuwait. Arkadag will play their first match on October 26 against "Maziya". Then, they will face "Abdysh-Ata" on October 29 and conclude their group stage on November 1 against "Al-Arabi".

At the end of the group stage, eight teams will advance to the quarterfinals: three group winners and the best runner-up in the Western zone, as well as two best teams from each group in the Eastern zone.

The opening ceremony of the XIV Universiade Turkmenistan – a country of spirituality and health was held in the multifunctional sports complex of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Education and Sports, in which student teams of universities took part.

The festive atmosphere was complemented by performances of musical and dance groups, as well as young athletes who demonstrated their skills in various sports.

The Universiade is a comprehensive sports event and is held to develop and popularize sports in Turkmenistan, promote a healthy lifestyle among students and identify the strongest athletes to participate in international student competitions.

The Turkmenistan national traditional karate team is taking part in the World Championship in the Spanish city of Cambrils. Turkmen athletes will compete for medals and the prestige of their country in the international arena.

The Turkmenistan national team includes 10 athletes: Kemal Atayev, Eziz Zekeryayev, Selim Muratdurdyev, Hemra Begjanov, Nurgeldy Annagurbanov, Palvan Ovezov, Serdar Bayriev, Yhlas Annagurbanov, Meylis Charyev and Adylsha Atayev.

The coaching staff Is represented by Diyar Hojaev (team leader) and Dovlet Berdyev. The panel of judges of Turkmenistan at the tournament is represented by Guvanch Adyev and Eymur Mademinov.

Traditional karate is a martial art that preserves and transmits unchanged techniques and methods of training that have come from ancient times. It is based on the principles of self-defense and includes punches, kicks, blocking and breathing techniques.

Turkmenistan and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) have reached an agreement to sign a plan for the development of tennis in the country until 2028. The corresponding document was agreed upon at a meeting between the Chairman of the Tennis Federation of Turkmenistan Eziz Dovletov and the head of the ITF David Haggerty within the framework of the ITF General Assembly in Hong Kong. This was reported by the publication “Turkmenistan: Golden Age”.

The plan aims to strengthen cooperation with the ITF, the largest international sports organization uniting 213 national tennis federations. The agreement envisages the use of the Asian Region Training Center in Ashgabat for the implementation of joint projects, including holding seminars for coaches and developing tennis for people with disabilities.

The possibility of inviting foreign specialists to improve the level of training of Turkmen tennis players was also discussed.

ITF President David Haggerty expressed confidence in the successful development of tennis in Turkmenistan and wished the national team success in the upcoming Davis Cup tournament, which will be held in November in Bahrain.

On October 21, the first stage of regional qualifying competitions for the First League of the 2025 Turkmenistan Chess Championship begins in Dashoguz. 69 participants have already registered for the tournament, demonstrating a significant increase in interest in chess in the region – the number of players with an international FIDE rating has increased from 4 to 20 compared to last year.

According to the press service of the Chess Federation of Turkmenistan (CFT), the series of regional competitions will last until mid-November and will be held in four stages: Dashoguz stage – October 21-25, Ashgabat stage (including Balkan and Ahal velayats) – October 28-November 1, Lebap stage – November 4-8, Mary stage – November 11-15.

"The holding of qualifying stages and, in general, a greater number of tournaments in each velayat is a targeted policy of the Chess Federation, as not every chess player has the opportunity to come to the capital. Thus, talented young chess players in remote areas have a chance and, accordingly, motivation to showcase their skills and go through all the qualifying stages for a possible place in the national team," explains the chairman of the Chess Federation, Vepa Mialikguliyev.

Moreover, anyone from other regions of the country can also participate in all other stages of the selection, but without the right to claim advancement to the next stage from another velayat. According to the General Secretary of the CFT, Mergen Kakabayev, "this condition allows young chess players to gain intensive tournament practice over these two months without the need to travel abroad."

At the First League stage, which is scheduled for early 2025, chess players selected through the velayats will be joined by holders of the title "Candidate Master of Sports" and higher among men and those with the 1st category and higher among women, who will compete in one tournament using the Swiss system for three spots in the Higher League of the 2025 Turkmenistan Championship.

The top four places in the Higher League of the previous year, i.e., 2024, as well as one winner of the recent Federation Cup (among men and women) have already earned the right to participate in the next Higher League, which will be played in a round-robin system in two rounds among 8 finalists. The top five places in the Higher League will form the men's and women's national teams for 2025.

It is worth noting that the teams formed in March this year according to the same principle have been intensively preparing since then and successfully performed at the 45th World Chess Olympiad in Budapest (Hungary) in September, winning gold medals in their categories (men – in category B, and women – in category C).

Turkmenistan national team midfielder Teymur Charyev won the 2024 Kyrgyzstan Super Cup as part of the “Abdysh-Ata” football club. His team defeated “Muras United”. The match took place at the Dolen Omurzakov stadium in Bishkek and ended with a score of 1:0.

The only goal of the match was scored in the 25th minute by Zhyrgalbek uulu Kairat, who skillfully hit the opponent's goal with a long-range shot. 23-year-old Teymur Charyev entered the field from the first minutes and made a significant contribution to his team's victory.

For the Turkmen midfielder, whose transfer value according to Transfermarkt is estimated at 275 thousand euros, this is already the second significant trophy in Kyrgyzstan. Last year, after moving to “Abdysh-Ata”, Charyev became the champion of the country, and this season he also won silver medals in the Kyrgyzstan Cup, losing in the final to “Muras United” with a score of 2:3.

“Abdysh-Ata” continue to dominate Kyrgyz football, topping the current Premier League table with 56 points after 22 rounds. Closest pursuers “Dordoi” are eight points behind with a game in hand, while “Muras United” are third with 39 points and two games in hand.

Now the Kant club and Teymur Charyev will have their debut in the group stage of the AFC Challenge League. Within the framework of the tournament, “Abdysh-Ata” will play three matches: against Kuwaiti “Al-Arabi” on October 26, Turkmen “Arkadag” on October 29, and Maldivian club “Maziya” on November 1.