"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.

Valentina Meredova of Turkmenistan showed true Olympic spirit during the first round of the women's 100m sprint at the Paris Olympics. Despite successfully advancing to the next stage of the competition, the 39-year-old athlete returned to the track to help her injured opponent from South Sudan.

The incident occurred on August 2 when Lucia Maurice from South Sudan fell approximately 70 meters into the race. Meredova, who finished fourth in the race, along with Silina Pha Apkhai from Laos, who finished sixth, immediately returned to help the injured athlete. They stayed with Maurice until medical personnel arrived and she was evacuated on a stretcher.

Valentina Meredova, who will turn 40 in September, is one of the most experienced participants at the Paris Olympics. During her 27 years in athletics, she set Turkmenistan records in the indoor 60 meters (7,44 seconds) and the 100 meters (11,56 seconds). Meredova has participated in numerous international competitions, including the World, Asian and Asian Games.

At the Paris Olympics, Meredova started in the preliminary round, where she finished in 12,01 seconds, placing 16th overall and qualifying for the main round. In the main round, she improved her time to 11,95 seconds, which was her best performance this season. However, this was not enough to reach the semi-finals.

Despite the fact that Valentina was unable to make it to the finals of the competition, her performance at the Olympics deserves respect. Especially considering that she is the only athlete on the Turkmen team who previously competed at the Olympic Games (in 2008 in Beijing).

This noble act of Meredova attracted the attention of the American sports magazine Sports Illustrated, which noted it as a shining example of the sports spirit at the Olympics. Her actions demonstrate that mutual aid and compassion trump athletic achievement.

The world's longest rally competition started at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul. The participants will finish in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, reports Bolshaya Aziya.

The competition is organized by the Friendship and Peace East-West Rally Association with the support of the European Union and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the opening ceremony of the rally, the president of the Association, Nadir Serin, said that 30 motorists from seven countries, including Turkey, will take part in the competition. The participants will travel through Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China and finish in Mongolia. Their route, Nadir Serin added, will be the third route laid through Central Asia.

The rally will end on August 28.

Midfielder of the Turkmenistan national team and Hong Kong Kitchee Ruslan Mingazov played in a friendly match against Atletico Madrid. The game took place on August 7 at the Hong Kong National Stadium and ended with a score of 6:1 in favor of the Spanish grandee.

Mingazov was in the starting lineup and spent 80 minutes on the field, receiving a rating of 6.7 from Sofascore, which became the fourth best result in the team. The best rating - 7.2 points - was received by the author of the only goal of Kitchee, Uzbek forward Sherzod Temirov.

It should be noted that 33-year-old Mingazov made 15 passes in this game - 100% accuracy, won 3 ground duels (4), earned 2 fouls and shot on target 1 time.

The Turkmenistan national under-17 football team will take part in the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) championship, which will be held from August 17 to 24 in Dushanbe.

The tournament will bring together teams from six Central Asian countries: Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

For Turkmen football players, this event will be an important part of preparation for the upcoming qualifying round of the 2025 Asian Cup among youth teams in October. In Group “D” of the qualifying tournament, Turkmenistan’s opponents will be the teams of Thailand, India and Brunei.

The draw for the group stage of the 2024 CAFA Championship will take place on August 15, after which the full calendar of games will be published. All matches of the tournament will be available for viewing live on the CAFA YouTube channel, the Organizing Committee of the tournament reports.