Turkmenistan Set To Showcase Country's Beauty Through 5th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- Turkmenistan, a country of just six million people, is all set to showcase its tourist attractions and warm hospitality, when it hosts the 5th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games from Sept 17 to 27. Its Ambassador to Malaysia, Yazkuli O. Mammedov, said that the 2017 Games, themed "Health, Inspiration, Friendship" is the biggest sporting event Turkmenistan will host since gaining independence 25 years ago, and the country plans to make it the best in the region. "Not only Turkmenistan will benefit from this event, but other countries will also gain from it. Turkmenistan's main priority is to show to the world the great relations among countries," he told Bernama, during a visit to the news agency headquarters here recently. He said that with over 4,000 athletes and sports fans due to camp out in Turkmenistan's capital city of Ashgabat, the Central Asian country could indeed further boost its tourism potentials through the games. The ambassador said that Turkmenistan has a lot to offer, from historical sites to the beautiful beaches and nature, which among others include the ancient city of Nisa and the Darvaza crater also known as 'Door to Hell'. Elaborating on the games, Mammedov said that preparations were already in the final stages, with over 20 out of 30 facilities in the largest sport complex in Central Asia, Ashgabat City Olympic City, completed while six venues have been successfully tested so far. Some 62 countries from Asia and Oceania are expected to attend the fifth edition of the games where athletes will compete in 21 different types of sporting events. This is the first time in the history of the Games that 17 countries from Oceania have been invited to participate. "Our national sport, the Turkmen national wrestling is one of the events contested, along with other sports such as equestrian and Muay Thai," he said. Other events listed include kickboxing, athletics, taekwondo, dance sport, billiard, weightlifting/powerlifting, Jujitsu, Chess, Futsal, Tennis, Sambo, Kurash, Bowling, Cycling (Track), Swimming, sport wrestling, belt wrestling and basketball. The Games, formerly known as the Asian Indoor Games, was first hosted by Bangkok, Thailand in 2005. -- BERNAMA