Ashgabat or Asgabat, is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies between the Karakum Desert and the Kopetdag mountain range in Central Asia, near the Iran-Turkmenistan border.
The Turkmenistan national football team represents Turkmenistan in men's international football and it is controlled by the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, the governing body for football in Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan's home stadiums are the Ashgabat Olympic Stadium and the Kopetdag Stadium. The team represents FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
United States of America (USA) has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern era Olympic Games, except for the one 1980 Summer Olympics during which it led a boycott, to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee of the United States.
Basketball at the Summer Olympics has been a sport for men consistently since 1936. Prior to its inclusion as a medal sport, basketball was held as a demonstration event in 1904. Women's basketball made its debut in the Summer Olympics in 1976. FIBA organizes both the men's and women's FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournaments and the Summer Olympics basketball tournaments, which are sanctioned by the IOC.
Kazakhstan's President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has challenged sports organizers to engage 30 percent of the country's population in sports. The state has numerous sports clubs where people participate in various types of sports; sport facilities are available to the general public. Kazakhstan currently hosts major international tournaments; Astana and Almaty hosted the VII Asian Winter Games 2011, which drew teams from 27 countries.
Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, that stood on the site now occupied by the new Olympic Stadium, built between 2013 and 2017.
Kazakhstan first participated at the Olympic Games as an independent nation in 1994, and has sent athletes to compete in every Games since then. Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kazakh athletes competed as part of the Soviet Union at the Olympics, and were also part of the Unified Team in 1992.
Uzbekistan first participated at the Olympic Games as an independent nation in 1994, and has sent athletes to compete in every Games since then. Previously, Uzbek athletes competed as part of the Soviet Union at the Olympics from 1952 to 1988, and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan was part of the Unified Team in 1992.
Armenia first participated at the Olympic Games as an independent nation in 1994, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games since then.
The 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, which is also counted as the 5th Asian Indoor Games, was held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in 2017. It became the third city in the former Soviet countries to win the right of hosting an Olympic Council of Asia-sanctioned event, following Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan, which jointly-hosted the 2011 Asian Winter Games. The host city was chosen in Kuwait on 19 December 2010. On 6 July 2013 the flag of the Olympic Council of Asia was officially handed over to the mayor of the city of Ashgabat.
Football is the most popular sport in Turkmenistan, a country that gained independence in 1991. The national association regularly takes part in competitions organised by FIFA and the AFC at senior and youth level. Valeri Nepomniachi is probably the most famous name in Turkmen football. He was the coach who led Cameroon to the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. The Africans surprised many with their 1–0 win over defending champions Argentina in the opening match and finally bowed out in the quarter-finals. There are 40 clubs, 820 players, and 30 referees in the country. The major stadiums are: Köpetdag Stadium, Nabitchi, and The Builder.
Turkmenistan competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's sixth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era.
Merdan Ataýew is a Turkmenistani swimmer. Ataýew competed for Turkmenistan at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2020 Summer Olympics. International Master of Sports of Turkmenistan (2021).
Turkmenistan is scheduled to compete in the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo and Obihiro, Japan from February 19 to 26. This will mark the country's debut at the Asian Winter Games. The country is scheduled to compete in one sport: ice hockey.
Kristina Shermetova is a Turkmen weightlifter. Her best results was a silver medal at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim.
Rejepbaý Rejepow is a Turkmen weightlifter. His best result was a silver medal at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, United States. Rejepow is also a distinguished athlete of the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan. He competed in the men's 81 kg at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
Muattar Nabieva is an Uzbekistani weightlifter. She is a bronze medalist at the Islamic Solidarity Games and a two-time bronze medalist at the Asian Weightlifting Championships. In 2021, she represented Uzbekistan at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. In 2018, she represented Uzbekistan at the Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Brandon Dean Wakeling is an Australian weightlifter. He won the gold medal in the men's 73 kg event at the 2019 Pacific Games held in Apia, Samoa. He represented Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He also represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and 2022.
Turkmenistan competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era.
Polina Aleksandrovna Guryeva is a Turkmenistani weightlifter. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo in 2021 and won a silver medal in the women's 59 kg competition. This was the first ever Olympic medal for Turkmenistan.
Russian Empire (1900–1912)
Soviet Union (1952–1988)
Unified Team (1992)
