Sport
Turkmen chess player wins festival in Abu Dhabi
26.08.2026Turkmen chess player Allayar Shirliyev took first place in the Open A category at the 32nd International Chess Festival in Abu Dhabi, held from 15 to 24 August. The 22-year-old Master Candidate from Ashgabat scored 8 points out of a possible 9, according to the news agency Orient. A. Shirliyev started as the seventh seed with a FIDE rating of 2184. By the end of the tournament, he had finished ahead of, amongst others, International Masters Bashir Eiti from Syria and Richilieu III Salcedo from the Philippines. His international rating rose by 40.6 points. The festival was organised by the Abu Dhabi Chess Club. Meanwhile, international grandmasters Daniil Dubov, David Paravyan and Pa Iniyan competed in the Masters tournament. Shirliyev’s success was the latest achievement by Turkmen chess players in August. Earlier, Lala Shohradova won the rapid event and took silver in the blitz at the Asian Junior Chess Championship in Mumbai. The Turkmenistan national team also won 16 medals at the Central and North Asian Chess Championship in Kyrgyzstan.
Turkmen judokas are set to compete in the Grand Slam tournament
26.08.2026The Turkmenistan national judo team will compete at the Grand Slam tournament in Lausanne, which will take place from 28 to 30 August. Ten athletes — eight men and two women — will represent the country, according to IIC. In the under-57 kg weight category, Maysa Pardayeva and Medine Orazniyazova will compete. In the men’s events, Turkmenistan will be represented by Ural Bakhtiyarov and Igtiyar Gurbanberdiyev (under 60 kg), Serdar Rahimov (under 66 kg), Meylis Shamyradov and Allamyrat Annagurbanov (up to 73 kg), Agajan Ayhanov and Batyr Merdanov (up to 81 kg), and Baymyrat Majanov (up to 100 kg). The tournament will form part of the national team’s preparations for the season’s major international competitions.
Turkmen wrestler wins bronze at the World Championships
26.08.2026Turkmen freestyle wrestler Alp Arslan Begenjov won a bronze medal at the U20 World Junior Championships in Bratislava (Slovakia). A third-year student at the Turkmen State Institute of Finance competed in the 86 kg weight category, in which 25 athletes vied for medals, according to the news agency ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. Begenjov contested five bouts and secured four victories. In his first three bouts, he defeated Bolati Na Ertai of China 10–0, Yahia Eliwa of Egypt 16–5 and Mahammad Abaszada of Azerbaijan 14–1. In the semi-final, the Turkmen athlete lost to Russia’s Ahmad Mukutov 4–8. In the bronze medal match, Begenjov defeated Turkey’s Sefa Cesur 9–2. The world champion was the American Aeoden Sinclair, who defeated Ahmad Mukutov 8–4 in the final. The second bronze medal in the under-86kg category was won by the Japanese athlete Natsura Okazawa. After the medal ceremony, Begenjov thanked the fans for their support.
The Turkmenistan National Youth Team is preparing for the U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers
26.08.2026The Turkmenistan U-20 national team, led by head coach Didar Hajiyev, is holding a training camp in Thailand as part of its preparations for the qualifying round of the 2027 Asian Cup. The qualifiers will begin on 31 August and will feature 31 national teams divided into eight groups, according to IIC of Turkmenistan. Places in the final stage of the tournament, which will take place in Hangzhou, China, from 24 March to 10 April 2027, will be secured by the group winners and the seven best runners-up. The Turkmenistan national team will play in Group F, with matches to be hosted by the city of Chonburi. In the group stage, the team will face their counterparts from Iraq (31 August), Thailand (3 September) and the UAE (6 September). The final stage of the national team’s preparations was their participation in the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA-2026) tournament in Tajikistan in May, where the Turkmen players finished fourth.
The Turkmenistan U-20 football team have travelled to Thailand for a training camp
25.08.2026The Turkmenistan U-20 national football team, led by head coach Didar Hajiyev, has begun preparations for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The team is holding a training camp in Thailand, according to the news website Turkmenportal. The qualifying tournament kicks off on 31 August. In the qualifying stage, the 31 teams are divided into eight groups: the group winners, as well as the seven best runners-up, will qualify for the finals. Thus, 15 teams will share places in the finals with the tournament hosts, the Chinese national team. Turkmenistan will compete in Group F alongside Iraq, Thailand and the UAE. The matches will take place in Chonburi (Thailand): 31 August – Iraq vs Turkmenistan, 13:30 3 September – Turkmenistan vs Thailand, 17:30 6 September – UAE vs Turkmenistan, 13:30 The Turkmenistan Under-20s played their last friendly in May 2026 at the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA-2026) Under-20 tournament, hosted by Tajikistan. The Turkmen players beat Afghanistan 3–1 but lost to Tajikistan 1–2, Kyrgyzstan 1–2 and Uzbekistan 0–2, finishing fourth overall. The final stage of the 2027 AFC U-20 Asian Cup will take place in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from 24 March to 10 April.
Turkmen athletes are preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games
24.08.2026In July–August 2028, Los Angeles (USA) will host the XXXIV Summer Olympic Games and the XVIII Summer Paralympic Games. Members of Turkmenistan’s national teams are preparing for competitions in athletics, weightlifting, boxing, judo, swimming, para-powerlifting, and freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. This was reported by the press office of the Ministry of the Textile Industry of Turkmenistan. The Olympic Games will take place from 14 to 30 July, and the Paralympic Games from 15 to 27 August 2028. Los Angeles previously hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984. In 2028, the city will host the Games for the third time, joining London and Paris. The organisers are emphasising the use of existing sports infrastructure. The plan is to utilise existing stadiums and other venues for the competitions and ceremonies, with temporary structures being erected only where necessary. There are also plans for the expanded use of renewable energy sources and modern energy technologies. Flag football and squash will feature in the 2028 Olympic programme for the first time. The programme also includes cricket, baseball, softball and lacrosse.
Turkmenistan’s basketball team has got off to a successful start in the Nations League
22.08.2026Turkmenistan’s men’s and women’s under-23 national teams secured victories over their Qatari counterparts in their opening matches of the FIBA 3x3 Youth Nations League 2026 international tournament in Singapore. This was reported by the IIC of Turkmenistan. The men’s team beat their opponents 15–9, whilst the women’s team won 21–6. The matches took place on the first day of the group stage of the Asia West/Pacific conference. The tournament in Singapore is taking place from 20 to 26 August, with teams from Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Turkmenistan taking part. In the preliminary stage, the Turkmenistan national teams are also set to face the Australian teams. The winner of the regional conference will qualify for the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup, which will take place in September in the Chinese city of Hubei.
FC ‘Ahal’ has been informed of the AFC Challenge League fixture list
21.08.2026The Asian Football Confederation has approved the fixtures for the group stage of the 2026/27 AFC Challenge League. Turkmenistan’s ‘Ahal’ will compete in Group A of the ‘West’ zone, according to IIC of Turkmenistan. The group’s matches will be played in a centralised format in Bhutan. The team’s opponents will be Lebanon’s ‘Al Ansar’, Syria’s ‘Al-Ittihad’ and the tournament hosts, ‘Paro’. The eight strongest clubs will progress to the play-offs. The knockout matches will begin in spring 2027. ‘Ahal’ fixtures: 17 October – ‘Ahal’ vs ‘Paro’; 20 October – ‘Al-Ittihad’ vs ‘Ahal’; 25 October – ‘Ahal’ vs ‘Al Ansar’.
A Turkmen tennis player has reached the quarter-finals of the Roland Garros Junior Series
21.08.2026Ali Geldiyev, a 14-year-old tennis player from Turkmenistan, has reached the quarter-finals of the Roland Garros Junior Series regional qualifying tournament in Almaty. The competition is being held on the clay courts of ‘Gorky Tennis Park’, according to the news agency ‘Turkmenistan: Golden age’. The tournament features 16 boys and 16 girls aged 16 and under from countries in Central and West Asia. Turkmenistan is represented by Ali Geldiyev, who qualified to compete in Almaty thanks to his high international and Asian rankings. In Group A, Geldiyev defeated Beksulton Voksidov of Uzbekistan 7–6(1), 6–0, and Dong Seon Kim 6–0, 6–1. In his match against the tournament’s top seed, Rodion Traigel of Kazakhstan, the Turkmen tennis player lost in the decisive tie-break — 3–6, 6–2, 5–10. Having finished second in the group, Geldiyev advanced to the quarter-finals. His opponent will be the eighth seed, Kiarash Sadeghizeidi from Iran, the winner of Group D. The winners of the qualifiers will secure places in the final stage of the Roland Garros Junior Series, which will take place in Japan in October. There, the sole place in the main draw of the 2027 Roland Garros Junior Championships will be up for grabs. In May, at the age of 14, Ali Geldiyev became the men’s champion of Turkmenistan for the first time, setting a national record. He began his training at Children’s and Youth Sports School No. 9 in Turkmenabat under the guidance of Babamurat Mamatrasulov. The player is currently training in Ashgabat with Meylis Orazmuhammedov and Yuri Rogussky.
A Turkmen chess player has been crowned Asian rapid chess champion
21.08.2026Turkmen chess player Lala Shohradova won the gold medal in the rapid chess tournament at the Asian Junior Chess Championship (under-20) in Mumbai. This was reported by the IIC of Turkmenistan. After seven rounds, the player scored 6 points out of a possible 7. Pratitee Bordoloi of India achieved the same result, but Lala Shohradova was awarded first place on tiebreaks. In the third round, she lost to her compatriot WFM Jahan Rejepova, after which she won four games in a row. Sixty female chess players from seven countries took part in the women’s rapid chess competition. Turkmenistan was represented by Jahan Rejepova, Myahri Agamyradova, Leyla Shohradova and Lala Shohradova. For Lala Shohradova, this is her second medal of the current championship. On 17 August, she won the silver medal in the blitz tournament.
Turkmen football club ‘Arkadag’ has learnt the dates of its AFC Champions League 2 matches
20.08.2026The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has published the fixture list for the group stage of the 2026/27 AFC Champions League 2. ‘Arkadag’s opponents in Group B are ‘Al-Jazira’ (UAE), ‘Gol Gohar’ (Iran) and ‘Al-Muharraq’ (Bahrain), according to the news website Turkmenportal. The Turkmen club will begin the group stage on 15 September with a home match against ‘Al-Muharraq’, kicking off at 18:45 Ashgabat time. On 14 October, ‘Arkadag’ will play away against ‘Al-Jazira’. The matches against ‘Gol Gohar’ will take place on 28 October and 4 November: as the Iranian club is technically hosting its opponents on neutral ground, the first match will be held in Tajikistan and the return leg in Turkmenistan. The group stage will conclude with matches against ‘Al-Muharraq’ on 25 November and ‘Al-Jazira’ on 9 December. ‘Arkadag’ will play their home matches at their 10,000-capacity stadium in the city of Arkadag. ‘Arkadag’s fixture list in Group B: Round 1, 15 September, 18:45 – ‘Arkadag’ vs ‘Al-Muharraq’ Round 2, 14 October, 20:00 – ‘Al-Jazira’ vs ‘Arkadag’ Round 3, 28 October, 18:45 – ‘Gol Gohar’ vs ‘Arkadag’ Round 4, 4 November, 18:45 – ‘Arkadag’ vs ‘Gol Gohar’ Round 5, 25 November, 19:00 – ‘Al-Muharraq’ vs ‘Arkadag’ Round 6, 9 December, 18:45 – ‘Arkadag’ vs ‘Al-Jazira’
The Turkmenistan national wrestling team is set to travel to Bratislava
20.08.2026Three members of the Turkmenistan national freestyle wrestling team will compete at the World Junior (U20) Championships, which begin on 20 August in Bratislava (Slovakia). This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal. The national team comprises Azatberdi Ashirgulyev (up to 61 kg), Alp Arslan Begenjov (up to 86 kg) and Dovletgeldi Myradov (up to 92 kg). The tournament is organised by United World Wrestling (UWW). Matches featuring the Turkmen athletes will be broadcast live on the ‘Belet’ platform. The broadcast will begin at 13:30 Ashgabat time.
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