Dear compatriots!
Dear coaches and athletes of the football team Arkadag!
With all my heart I congratulate you on your sporting achievement in the International Year of Peace and Trust: at the final meeting of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge League, the football team Arkadag won the victory and became the champion!
During the years of independence, large-scale reforms have been implemented in our country to develop physical culture and sports, to establish the principles of a healthy lifestyle in society, especially among young people, to educate a physically healthy and highly spiritual young generation. Sports complexes, schools, stadiums and a number of specialized facilities that meet international standards have been put into operation in our native Fatherland. As a result, a solid foundation has been laid for our people to actively engage in mass physical culture, for our youth to achieve new successes in various sports.
A number of major competitions have been organized in the country. The successfully held V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the Amul-Khazar International Rally, the World Weightlifting Championship, the World Kurash Wrestling Championship, the Central Asian Team Tennis Championship and the International Hockey Tournament opened new pages in the history of national and world sports.
Our athletes, who have linked their fate with sports, highly raise the sports authority of their native Fatherland, not only in national competitions, but also in tournaments of regional and international significance, demonstrating an excellent example of patriotism, determination and true skill.
Dear people!
With the announcement of 2025 as the International Year of Peace and Trust on the initiative of independent neutral Turkmenistan based on the Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, effective work is being carried out to develop sports, which are ambassadors of peace. Our state, being a member of the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Council of Asia, makes a worthy contribution to the development of the Olympic movement.
Physical culture and sport are a great force that ensures the health of society, uniting peoples and states. Where there is sport, there is peace, happiness, well-being and prosperity. Friendly and fraternal relations are strengthened through sport.
The United Nations General Assembly, on the initiative of Turkmenistan, unanimously adopted the Resolutions on the proclamation of June 3 as World Bicycle Day, as well as Integration of mass cycling into public transport to achieve sustainable development. Turkmenistan was elected to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Culture and Sport for 2023-2027. In 2024, at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, on the initiative of Turkmenistan and with the unanimous support of the Member States of the Community of Nations, the Resolution United Nations Friendship Games was adopted.
In accordance with the Decision of the Council of Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Independent States, held in 2024, the city of Ashgabat was proclaimed the City of New Sports Opportunities of the Commonwealth.
Also, the Tennis Complex of the Ashgabat Olympic Village was recognized by the Asian Tennis Federation as the Training Center of the Asian Region in Tennis. All this is recognition of our country's contribution to strengthening peace and friendship on Earth.
Dear sports fans!
The great successes achieved by our athletes in various sports in the year of celebrating the 30th anniversary of the permanent neutrality of our beloved Fatherland further raise the country's sports prestige in the era of the Revival of a new era of a powerful state.
In the first month of the International Year of Peace and Trust, members of the Galkynyş National Equestrian Games Group – our boys and girls, holding the Turkmen Flag high at the International Circus Arts Festival in Monte Carlo, Principality of Monaco, were awarded the Main Prize and special awards.
The international tournament in national wrestling and belt wrestling Alysh, held in the Martial Arts Sports Complex of the Olympic City of Ashgabat in April 2025, was also marked by great success. At this international competition, which was held with the participation of 13 countries, our athletes, having won 28 medals, increased the international sports authority of the country.
And recently, the Arkadag football team won a major victory and became the champion of the Asian Football Confederation Challenge League. This became evidence that the reforms carried out in our country to develop high-performance sports and the Olympic movement are successful at the international level.
Dear coaches and athletes of the football team Arkadag!
In Turkmenistan, great importance is attached to the consolidation of international efforts to develop and widely disseminate football. At present, joint work is being carried out in our country in cooperation with the International Football Federation (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the further development of football.
In the "smart" city of Arkadag, created on the initiative of the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero Arkadag, along with various sports, great attention is also paid to the development of football. A multifunctional sports complex, a sports center and a stadium for 10,000 seats, meeting international standards, have been put into operation here.
The creation in 2023 of the football team Arkadag on the initiative of Hero Arkadag, who is doing a lot of work to increase the global prestige of Turkmen sports, became a big event in the sports life of the country.
The successful performance and bright victories of the football team Arkadag in the meetings of the championship of Turkmenistan 2023-2024 and in the matches for the Cup and Super Cup of Turkmenistan clearly showed that this football team has a great future.
Dear people!
Today in the city of Arkadag, which in history was the birthplace of the "heavenly" horses, and is currently flourishing, we are witnessing the triumph of the wise saying of our ancestors "Where the horse prances – expect a holiday".
Hero Arkadag, having met with the coaches and athletes of the football team Arkadag, blessed them with the words: "Achieving victory is yours, gratitude is ours!", which increased the high spirit of our guys and their confidence in victory.
The football team Arkadag, inspired by the great trust shown, achieved a brilliant victory. Having been awarded the Asian Football Confederation Challenge League Cup, it increased the international sports authority of our country. Having raised the flag of our Fatherland high, it increased the prestige of Turkmenistan!
Dear compatriots!
Respected coaches and athletes of the football team Arkadag!
Once again, I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart on the fact that the football team Arkadag, having successfully performed, for the first time in the history of Turkmen football became the champion at a prestigious tournament held at the international level!
I wish you good health, a prosperous and happy life, great success in your work to further enhance the sports authority of our powerful Motherland!
President of Turkmenistan
Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV
