Today, the Turkmen capital hosted the opening ceremony of the International tournament on national wrestling Goresh and belt wrestling Alysh, in which athletes from 13 countries of Europe and Asia are participating. This event became a new vivid evidence of the transformation of Ashgabat into a recognized international sports center, wide support from the World Goresh Federation (WGF) and Alysh (WAF) of the targeted strategy for the development of physical culture and sports, which is one of the priority areas of the state policy of Turkmenistan, implemented under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty Hero-Arkadag.
In the era of the Revival of a new epoch of a powerful state, domestic sports have reached qualitatively new levels. Being a member of the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Council of Asia, our state makes a worthy contribution to the development of the international Olympic movement. Realizing its sports potential in the name of peace and friendship, Turkmenistan systematically strengthens and increases international cooperation.
An eloquent confirmation of the high assessment of our country’s successes in the development of sports, promotion of the values of the physical culture and health movement was the announcement, on the initiative of Turkmenistan, of June 3 as World Bicycle Day, as well as the unanimous adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolutions “Integration of mass cycling into public transport systems to achieve sustainable development” and “United Nations Friendship Games”.
In addition, in recent years, in cooperation with international sports organizations, a number of major competitions have been triumphantly held on the basis of the facilities of the Ashgabat Olympic Village built in accordance with international standards.
In 2017, Ashgabat hosted the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 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, the route of which ran along the historic Great Silk Road, and the World Weightlifting Championships.
In June 2023, the Turkmen capital became the venue for the second time for the Central Asian Team Tennis Championship among boys and girls under 12, in which young athletes from six countries – Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan – competed for the title of the strongest. And in November of the same year, the 14th Kurash World Championship with the participation of athletes from 45 countries of four continents ended triumphantly for the national team of Turkmenistan in the Martial Arts Sports Complex of the Olympic Village, in which domestic athletes in 15 weight categories won 15 medals – 5 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze.
Thanks to the large-scale multi-faceted work carried out, the Turkmen capital has gained high authority in the international arena as a rapidly developing center of world sports, which has all the conditions for holding competitions of the highest level. And therefore, it is no coincidence that a sign of special trust in Turkmenistan on the part of the international sports community, recognition of the merits of our country in the development and popularization of physical culture and sports, strengthening international cooperation in this area was the announcement of Ashgabat as the “City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth” at the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS held on May 24, 2024 in the Turkmen capital. In the same year, the Tennis Complex of the Ashgabat Olympic Village was recognized by the Asian Tennis Federation as the “Training Center of the Asian Region”. A bright event in the sports calendar was the international ice hockey tournament held in Turkmenistan in 2024, which brought together teams from the Commonwealth and other countries.
And now Ashgabat is organizing another representative competition – the International Tournament in National Wrestling Goresh and Belt Wrestling Alysh, in which athletes from Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Belarus, Georgia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are participating. In order to hold the competitions at a high level, the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Physical Culture and Sports created a working group, which included representatives of ministries and departments, and approved a plan for the relevant events.
National Goresh and Belt Wrestling Alysh are types of wrestling that have ancient historical roots and embody the heroic spirit, courage and sports culture of the Turkmen and friendly peoples. These types of martial arts are not just a sports hobby, but also an integral part of the cultural heritage of peoples, glorifying the noble traditions passed down from generation to generation.
The great love of the Turkmen people for their national wrestling can be traced in deeply meaningful proverbs: “Göreşde ataň hem bolsa sylama” (“In wrestling, do not yield even to your father”), “Ýykylan göreşden doýmaz” (“The defeated cannot be satisfied with wrestling”), etc.
The capital of neutral Turkmenistan has become an international arena for holding world and Asian championships in Turkmen national wrestling in a short period of time by historical standards. It should be noted that in November 2014, Ashgabat hosted the 1st World Championship in Turkmen national wrestling goresh and the 12th World Belt Wrestling Championship with the participation of wrestlers from 24 countries.
In recent years, Turkmen national wrestling has been actively developing throughout the world. Today, the World Goresh Federation (WGF), founded on November 12, 2015, includes more than 20 national federations from Asia, Europe and even South America. A close partnership has been established between them, one of the forms of which has become the organization of regional competitions, which facilitates the further promotion of Turkmen goresh in the world sports arena.
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 disseminate Turkmen national wrestling in different parts of the world.
In March 2017, the European Goresh Federation was created in the Republic of Lithuania. And already on April 29 – May 2, in the city of Novi Sad, 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, the 1st African Championship in Turkmen National Wrestling was held in Cape Town (South Africa), which was also included as a separate sport in the program of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, held in September 2017 in Ashgabat.
The venue for the opening ceremony of the International Tournament in National Wrestling Goresh and Belt Wrestling Alysh was the Martial Arts Sports Complex, which is part of the infrastructure of the capital’s Olympic Village, built on the initiative of the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to host the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. Now the largest sports facility in the Central Asian region serves to host major competitions, as well as to train athletes and train everyone who wants to improve their health.
The organization of these competitions was preceded by serious, responsible and comprehensive preparations by 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 town for athletes and everyone who will be involved in these prestigious competitions, as well as for guests and fans. 100 volunteers from higher educational institutions of the country have been trained.
In addition, a cultural program has been organized for the guests, within the framework of which they will visit the Magtymguly Pyragy cultural and park complex, the Independence Monument of Turkmenistan, the International Akhalteke Equestrian Complex, the Berkarar, Aşgabat, Arkaç shopping and entertainment centers, and also get acquainted with other attractions of the capital.
The tournament program also provides for an international training seminar for judges and competition organizers. One of them took place the day before in the Olympic town of the capital.
And today, on the day of the start of the international tournament, its participants got acquainted with the exhibition that opened in the foyer of the Martial Arts Sports Complex, demonstrating the numerous achievements of Turkmen athletes. Here in the afternoon, the opening ceremony of the International Tournament in national wrestling Goresh and belt wrestling Alysh took place.
A festive atmosphere reigns in the stands of the 5,000-seat indoor arena of the Olympic town, where numerous spectators have gathered.
The long-awaited moment arrives. The national flags of the participating countries are brought into the arena of the sports complex. The official part of the opening of the competition begins.
In a solemn atmosphere, the welcoming address of the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov is read out, 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 raising a physically strong and spiritually strong generation, and also formed a unique national school for training wrestlers. Today, along with the national wrestling goresh, much attention is paid to other disciplines of this sport, including belt wrestling alysh.
“The Turkmens, who wholeheartedly protected their heritage – national wrestling, have 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,” the head of state emphasized, expressing confidence that the current significant event in the sports annals 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 the national wrestling goresh and belt wrestling alysh.
The welcoming address of the President of Turkmenistan was heard with great enthusiasm and greeted with thunderous applause.
The culminating moment arrives: the International Tournament in National Wrestling Goresh and Belt Wrestling Alysh is declared open! The National Anthem of Turkmenistan is performed, to the majestic sounds of which the emerald cloth of the sacred Banner of the Motherland rises above the stands.
Then, the Chairman of the Belt Wrestling Federation of Turkmenistan (BWFT) Shohrat Mammedov and the President of the World Alysh Federation (WAF) Adilet Bayaman uulu addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. Having expressed 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 beginning and wished them a successful performance.
At the end of the official part of the ceremony, a bright musical and dance performance took place. At the end of it, 8 sets of awards were played out in the first type of the program – the Turkmen national wrestling goresh. And it is very gratifying that Turkmen athletes became the winners of the tournament in all eight weight categories. Gold medals were won by: Ashyrmyrat Amandurdyev (up to 57 kg), Yakup Babayev (up to 62 kg), Ykhlas Begmyradov (up to 68 kg), Agayusup Garayev (up to 75 kg), Sylapberdi Nuryev (up to 82 kg), Annagurban Allaberdiev (up to 90 kg), Palvan Gurbangeldiev (up to 100 kg), Nurmuhammet Baydogdyev (over 100 kg).
Silver medals in our team were awarded to Muhammetarslan Geldiev (up to 57 kg), Atageldi Tedzhendurdyev (up to 75 kg), Dovran Jumadurdyev (up to 82 kg), Begli Hojammaev (up to 100 kg) and Ovezgeldi Berdiev (over 100 kg). Palvan Akmyradov (up to 68 kg) won the bronze medal.
Thus, following the results of the first day of the tournament, the national team of Turkmenistan has 14 medals (8 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze). The second place in the medal standings with 2 silver and 3 bronze awards is occupied by the team of Kyrgyzstan, and the third place is occupied by athletes from Afghanistan, who have 1 silver and 5 bronze medals. Three bronze medals were won by wrestlers from Uzbekistan and one each by representatives of Azerbaijan, India, Iran and Mongolia.
On April 24, masters of belt wrestling Alysh will enter the fight for medals, who will compete for 10 sets of awards – six for men and four for women.
