President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov attended the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the Olympic Village to be constructed in one of the picturesque and densely populated parts of the white-marble capital. The grandiose complex, which has no analogues in the region, will occupy the area of 157 hectares around the existing Olympic Stadium. About US$ 2 billion would be allocated for construction of the first facilities in the Olympic Village.

                                                 President of Turkmenistan launches construction of largest in Central Asia Olympic Village.

President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov attended the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the Olympic Village to be constructed in one of the picturesque and densely populated parts of the white-marble capital. The grandiose complex, which has no analogues in the region, will occupy the area of 157 hectares around the existing Olympic Stadium.
An improvised sports complex dressed in festive attire welcomed participants and guests of the festivities. These included the cabinet ministers, heads of the Mejlis, ministries and departments, public organisations, diplomatic missions and representations accredited in Turkmenistan, students, athletes and journalists.
The guests of honour represented the international sports community. They were the heads of the major sports organisations, specialists in construction of sports facilities, renowned athletes and coaches, world and Olympic champions, members of the National Olympic Committees of Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, numerous foreign journalists. Such an intense interest of the international sports community in this event vividly illustrates recognition worldwide of the policy of Turkmenistan and its leader, who had declared people’s wellbeing and integrated development to be the mainstay of the progress of the Turkmen society.
Numerous models of were installed around the construction site of the unique sports complex. These included an indoor cycling track designed for 6,000 spectators with an arena for bowling, badminton and table tennis tournaments, an indoor arena for team sports and gymnastics tournaments designed for 15,000 spectators, an indoor arena for wrestling, weightlifting, fencing and boxing tournaments designed for 5,000 spectators, the medical and rehabilitation centre, gyms for various sports, hotels designed for 500 and 800 visitors with the press centre, an indoor swimming pool designed for 5,000 spectators, an indoor tennis court and many other facilities.
The President’s car stopped nearby the venue for the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the first facilities of the Olympic Village. The heads of the Mejlis, Vice Premiers, high-ranking law enforcement officials and the Ashgabat Khyakim greeted the President there. Prayers for good health, long life, every success in all undertakings to the Turkmen leader and prosperity to the Motherland were offered up. The elders offered bread and salt to the leader of the Turkmen state. Talking to the elders, the national leader said that our glorious ancestors were adherent to a healthy lifestyle from times immemorial. The President noted that youth must follow their example to be physically strong and spiritually rich. For this purpose sports facilities and health improvement centres are constructed on the Caspian seashore, in Geokdere locality and others. Because youth is our future, the future of our independent Motherland, said President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
Then the national leader addressed the welcome speech to all those present.
Congratulating ceremony participants on the laying of the foundation stone of the Olympic Village, which had no analogues in Central Asia, the Turkmen leader noted that this magnificent facility would be inscribed in golden letters in the chronicle of our independent Motherland.
President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized that the highest value of our society and state was the individual. Therefore, we put forth much effort to promote the health of citizens, guarantee their prosperous and happy life, carry out the large-scale work to promote sports and physical culture in our country, turn Turkmenistan into the venue for international tournaments and competitions. The illustrative examples include the Olympic Village, which will be constructed in compliance with international standards.
The President noted that large sports facilities including the Olympic Water Sports Complex, the National Olympic Winter Sports Palace had been constructed within a short period of time in the Turkmen capital, 10,000-seat stadiums and dozens of other sports facilities had been built in the administrative centres of all velayats.
In the future fostering physical culture and sports would be one of our priority goals, the Turkmen leader said. Therefore, we will continue to build health improvement centres, gyms, sports grounds, tennis courts, swimming pools and other sports facilities supplied with state-of-the-art equipment and devices for practicing various sports.
The work we carried out to promote physical culture and sports, the President continued, would help our athletes, who performed under the flag of our independent neutral country, to perfect their skills, uphold and enhance further the prestige of Turkmen sports. Also, this would encourage them to perform in major international competitions and gain new victories and achievements on the global sports arena.
The President noted that at the first stage of the Olympic Village Project about 30 sports and social facilities would be constructed. These facilities would be built through using most advanced engineering resources and latest achievements in architectural art. These include a 10,000-seat sports palace for hockey, a water sports complex, an indoor bicycle track designed for 5,000 spectators, a tennis court and a number of other facilities.
About US$ 2 billion would be allocated for construction of the first facilities in the Olympic Village, said the President expressing belief that this would profoundly contribute to promoting different sports in our country, bringing up a physically strong and spiritually healthy generation, holding large-scale international competitions and achieving high results on the sports arena.
Congratulating once again all those present on the laying of the foundation stone of the Olympic Village, the President wished Turkmen athletes every success in performing in prestigious international competitions and enhancing further the prestige of our country on the world sports arena.
The Turkmen leader’s speech was greeted with the storm of applause. Then the Turkmen leader affixed his signature to the message to descendants and put it into a golden ball.
Then the guests of honour addressed ceremony participants and organizers. The floor was given to Patrick McQuaid, President of the International Cycling Union, a member of the International Olympic Committee, Dr. Santiparb Pantija Wanija, Advisor to the President of the Olympic Council of Asia and Igor Makarov, CEO of the Itera International Group of companies, who had been recently appointed Chairman of the Russian Cycling Federation. In conclusion the Russian businessman said that he would donate thirty racing bicycles of the latest model to Turkmen sportsmen and a racing bicycle to the initiator of the construction of the Olympic Village in Ashgabat, the President of Turkmenistan.
Then the President laid the golden ball into the foundation bed of the future Olympic Village. According to tradition, the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov gave the symbolic start to construction by laying the first bucket of concrete in the foundation of a new sports complex. The elders and foreign ambassadors, who wanted to be involved in this truly historic event at that moment, followed the Turkmen leader.
Bidding farewell to ceremony participants and guests, the President once again congratulated numerous athletes on the beginning of the construction of the sports complex that was to embody the country’s aspirations for new heights and become a visible symbol of the epoch of new Revival.
Upon concluding the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the Olympic Village, the grandiose show was performed at the Olympic Stadium by young singers, dance groups and folk ensembles and students of sports schools of Ashgabat.

The colourful performance was presented on the sports arena. The spectators welcomed each artist, dancers and performer with the friendly applause. The baton of festivities was pricked up by Turkmen   athletes, who demonstrate their brilliant techniques in dozens of sports. The stadium arena turns into an Olympic Village for a few moments.

The final chord of the show was the song glorifying the Motherland, the epoch of new revival and the Turkmen people.

State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH)