Ashgabat hosts Memorandum signing for Ocean Island nations to compete in Asian Indoorand Martial Arts Games for very first time
His Excellency the President ofTurkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, today signed an historic Memorandum withOCA President, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah; ONOC President, Dr Robin Mitchell andChairman of the AIMAG 2017 Executive Committee, Dayanch Gulgeldiyev, to confirm thatathletes from 17 nations and seven Associate Members in the Oceania region will participatein the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) for the very first time in Turkmenistanin 2017.
The signing took place at Ashgabat’s famous Oguzkent Hotel in the presence of seniorofficials from the Government of Turkmenistan, international diplomatic representatives andover 100 international and local media.
His Excellency the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, said:
"The signing of this historic Memorandum is very important for Turkmenistan as we continueour preparations for the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games at a fast pace. We lookforward to welcoming the nations from Oceania to our new Olympic Complex for which weare spending 5 billion US Dollars on preparation for these Games. The Olympic Complex isa state-of-the-art, world-class facility which will help Turkmenistan to promote sportparticipation and healthy living throughout our society."
A record 8,000 athletes and officials from 62 National Olympic Committees will travel toAshgabat for the AIMAG 2017 - making it one the largest multi-sports events in the world.While the sports programme is yet to be finalised, it will include a record number of sportsand disciplines.
OCA President, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, said:"This is an historic moment for the OCA for a number of reasons. Not only will we be joinedby elite athletes from the Oceania region for the very first time at the Asian Indoor andMartial Arts Games but this will also be the first occasion that the Games are held in CentralAsia and the first time that Turkmenistan has hosted a major sporting event of this calibre.
"I am extremely grateful to His Excellency, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, and tomy colleague, Dr Robin Mitchell, for helping us to continue to pioneer sport with innovativeapproaches in new markets. The 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games promises to bea spectacular success."
ONOC President, Dr Robin Mitchell, added:
"On behalf of the 17 participating nations and seven Associate Members from ONOC, weare delighted to be taking part in the unique Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games here in thestunning city of Ashgabat. The Oceania region has many talented elite athletes in indoor andmartial arts sports and we welcome the opportunity for them to display their talent on theinternational stage. I am hopeful that Oceania’s athletes will have a decent share of themedals by the end of the Games!"
Chairman of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) Executive Committee,Dayanch Gulgeldiyev, said:
"Today marks another historic milestone for Turkmenistan as we welcome athletes from 17Ocean Islands to compete in our Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games for the very first time.In recent years, the AIMAG 2017 Executive Committee has been highly active - travelling tomany meetings and major competitions to enrich our knowledge about what it takes todeliver a world-class sporting event. Turkmenistan is one of the world’s best kept secrets,and we look forward to finally sharing this secret with the world in 2017 in what will be afantastic celebration of sport."
The Memorandum signing ceremony was followed by a media forum involving discussionsand presentations from international media as well as Kakabaj Seydov, Chairman of theState Committee of Turkmenistan for Sport, and Secretary General of Turkmenistan’sNational Olympic Committee, Azat Muradov, who joined the floor to discuss the future ofsport in Central Asia.
International media were then given a tour of Ashgabat’s Olympic Complex to witness firsthand the rapid development of facilities and preparations for the Games in 2017. With Phase1 of construction already complete, guests visited the 15,000-capacity indoor arena, luxuryrestaurant and what is now the world’s largest indoor Velodrome – boasting a capacity of6,000.
For more information, please contact:Stacey Dyzart: stacey@jtassocs.com; +44 7985453162 OR Caitlin Lister: caitlin@jtassocs.com; +44 7557 435 314
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