Today, on errand of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, in the conference hall of the Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan, it was held a ceremony of honoring the athletes and coaches of the Galkan Turkmen Hockey Team, which won a prize in the international ice hockey tournament held in the capital from April 15 to 20.

The event was attended by leaders and representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports, the Hockey Federation of Turkmenistan, the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees and sports federations, athletes and coaches, students, and the media.

As is known, for six days at the Winter Sports Complex, hockey clubs from Bahrain, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Russia, Uzbekistan, Türkiye and Turkmenistan waged an exciting fight for the main trophy of the competition.

At the preliminary stage of the tournament, its participants were divided into two groups, the winners of which reached the finals, and the teams that took second place competed for bronze medals.

It is appropriate to remember here that the debut of our athletes surprised everyone with its rapid start: on the first day, the eight-time champion of Turkmenistan Galkan started the game very powerfully with the Bahrain team. The meeting took place with a noticeable advantage of the Turkmen hockey players.

The final match between the Galkan (Turkmenistan) and ADIHIC-Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation) teams started at high speeds. In the last minutes of the game, our athletes, showing off their high skill, withstood the onslaught of the opponent and beat him with a score of 4:2.

Thus, the Galkan hockey club from Turkmenistan became the winner of the tournament, ADIHIC-Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation) – the silver medalist, and Volat (Belarus) – the bronze medalist.

These competitions, in fact, wrote a new page in the history of the national school of hockey. Today, thanks to the special attention of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the development of sports, the formation of a modern sports infrastructure, the foundations of which were laid by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in Ashgabat and the Avaza National Tourist Zone, Turkmen hockey has made a huge step forward. 

In the era of the Revival of a new epoch of a powerful state, on the initiative of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, consistent steps are being taken to bring national sports to the world level, achieve high results by our athletes and establish Turkmenistan as a major sports power. 

Large-scale competitions, increasingly organized in the Homeland, as well as victories of our compatriots in prestigious international tournaments, clearly demonstrate the success of the ongoing reforms in the field of sports. 

Traditional ceremonies honoring them became recognition of the enormous contribution of the young generation of athletes to the development of domestic sports and increasing the authority of our country in the international arena. 

Those present listened with great attention to the Address of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov to the athletes and coaches of the Galkan hockey team, which emphasized that holding an international ice hockey tournament at a high level in the modern Winter Sports Complex once again demonstrates that our country is capable of hosting, along with various major competitions, international competitions in winter sports. 

As noted in the message, a major international tournament organized in the Homeland at a high level will increase the international sports prestige of Turkmenistan, turn it into a sports power, and also make a great contribution to the development of hockey. 

Next, the Decree of the President of Turkmenistan was read out on awarding honorary titles to athletes and coaches of the Galkan hockey club, which won a prize in the international ice hockey tournament held in Ashgabat from April 15 to 20 of this year, the motto of which is “The Fount of the Wisdom of Magtymguly Fragi.” 

In a solemn atmosphere, to the thunderous applause of numerous ceremony participants, the awardees were presented with diplomas and memorable gifts on behalf of the head of state. 

The National Anthem of Turkmenistan is played in honor of the winners. 

Emphasizing the importance of the further development of national hockey, the speakers noted that the current large-scale competitions resulted in a true holiday that united people from different states, became a landmark event in the life of our country, which demonstrated to the world the impressive potential of Turkmenistan in the field of sports and its desire to increase fruitful cooperation in this area. 

Expressing deep gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan and the National Leader of the Turkmen people for the high appreciation of the achievements of athletes, the constant concern for creating the most favorable conditions for sports in the country, including hockey, and the constant improvement of their skills and mastery, the awardees noted that thanks to the tireless attention of the head state and Hero-Arkadag, domestic sports reached qualitatively new levels. 

The athletes and their coaches assured that they will make every effort to increase the sporting authority of the Homeland and will continue to work hard to represent Turkmen sports with honor in the international arena. 

After taking souvenir photographs, a concert was organized for the main participants of the ceremony with the participation of creative teams of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as masters of the country’s arts. 

Sport is not only about records and medals, it is a powerful social, unifying force; it is closely linked with culture, economics, and diplomacy. Undoubtedly, the international ice hockey tournament that was successfully held in Ashgabat will strengthen Turkmenistan’s place among the sports powers and will give a powerful impetus to the development of elite sports in our country. 

At the end of the celebration, the participants in the award ceremony for the athletes and coaches of the Galkan hockey club team adopted an Address to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.