The Turkmenistan national under-18 ice hockey team defeated South Africa 4-3 in the first round of the World Junior Championship Division III Group B in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). This was reported by the news website Turkmenportal.

The match was tense: after opening the scoring in the 10th minute, Dayanch Batyrov responded with a goal in the final stage, securing victory for his team. South Africa equalised and caught up due to Duvan van der Merwe and Joshua Anker, but accurate shots from Rovshen Archayev and Hezretali Mammedov allowed Turkmenistan to maintain its advantage.

In the next round, the Turkmen hockey team will face Iceland, who defeated Luxembourg 12-1 in their opening match. In addition, Thailand defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 12-3.