The team of Turkmenistan took part in the opening ceremony of the VII Summer International Sports Games «Children of Asia», which took place in Vladivostok.
The sports delegation of Turkmenistan, consisting of 85 people, arrived in Vladivostok early this morning in transit through Moscow. Having settled in the Athletes' Village and rested a little after a long-distance flight, the Turkmen citizens arrived at the opening ceremony of the Games, which was held at the Fetisov Arena concert and sports complex.
The ceremony began with a parade of athletes, during which the flag of Turkmenistan was carried by the representative of table tennis Ilyas Allanazarov.
Then the participants of the event heard a greeting from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, after which the head of the International Children of Asia Games Committee Vladimir Maksimov and the Governor of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako addressed the guests.
The flame of the VII International Sports Games «Children of Asia» was lit at the opening ceremony by the Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Liliya Akhaimova, who began her sports career in Vladivostok. The gymnast overcame the last stage of the torch relay and, accompanied by other participants in the games, lit the chalice on the stage of the Fetisov Arena.
The International Sports Games «Children of Asia» are held every four years under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee and UNESCO. The main goals of the Games are the development of youth sports, the strengthening of international sports cooperation and the promotion of the ideas of the Olympic movement.
Over the past 25 years, thousands of young athletes from more than 30 Asian countries have become participants in the Games, who subsequently became winners and prize-winners of the Olympic Games, championships, world and continental championships.
The first six International Sports Games «Children of Asia» were held in Yakutsk. The seventh was planned in 2020 in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), but did not take place due to the pandemic. And now Vladivostok is hosting the 7th Games.
Athletes aged 13-16 from 12 states - Armenia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and eight subjects of Russia take part in the current Games «Children of Asia». Participants will compete for 273 sets of medals in 19 type of sports.
The team of Turkmenistan has been participating in the «Children of Asia» Games for the fourth time since 2008.
Our country is represented at the Games by 62 athletes who will compete for medals in nine sports - 3x3 basketball, boxing, kurash, athletics, table tennis, swimming, sambo, wrestling (Greco-Roman and freestyle) and archery.
The VII International Sports Games «Children of Asia» will end on August 8.
