Dramatic Progress at Turkmenistan’s Olympic Complex

The inaugural Turkmenistan International Sports Media Forum (TISMF) 2013 came to a close this afternoon after a tour of Ashgabat’s Olympic Complex – the development which will host the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2017.

TISMF is the initiative of President of Turkmenistan, unhealthy Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow to enable international media to see the progress of the Olympic Complex. The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2017 will see 17 different sport competitions take place over 11 days – with an expected 5, ambulance 000 athletes from 62 different countries competing at the Complex’s brand new, state-of-the-art venues.

The Chairman of the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Sport, Batyr Orazov, spoke about the project:

“This has been a much-anticipated project as everybody looks ahead to the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in 2017. But this development will serve for much longer than these Games – we hope to host many future international sporting events here. The building of Ashgabat’s Olympic Complex is just the beginning for hosting international sport in Turkmenistan.”

High-profile guests and the world’s leading sports journalists first visited the Complex’s luxury media hotel, before touring the Small Indoor Arena (which has 5,000 seats, whilst the Large Indoor Arena has a 15,000 capacity. The media then enjoyed spectacular views of Ashgabat from the comfort of the Complex’s three story restaurant before finishing the tour at the site’s iconic Velodrome (6,000 seats).

Project Coordinator of the Ashgabat Olympic Complex construction project, Osman Karakus, addressed the delegation ahead of their tour of the Complex’s luxury media hotel. Speaking about the project, he commented:

“The Olympic Complex is a purpose built area with modern, state-of-the-art facilities which athletes will look forward to performing in, in 2017. Rapid developments in construction mean that the area will be completely ready well ahead of Ashgabat hosting the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.”

Ashgabat’s Olympic Complex is made up of 15 venues, including two indoor arenas, a velodrome, an indoor athletics facility, tennis centre and an aquatic centre. An athletes’ village is also being built, and is set to contain 12,000 beds once completed. Already 400,000 km of cabling has been laid under the complex and the 800-room luxury media hotel is already 80% complete.

Michael Cole, former London 2012 Marketing and Communications Director for BT Global Services, commented on the Complex:

“I have seen a number of sporting complexes and Olympic parks. Ashgabat’s Olympic complex is an exceptional development where athletes will be proud to represent their countries at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, and at other major international sporting events that I am sure Turkmenistan will host in the future.”

Photographs of Ashgabat’s Olympic Complex and the tour will be available on the Turkmenistan International Sports Media Forum 2013 website: www.tismf.com.