The concern for the physical and mental health of people has become a priority of the state policy in our Motherland. When our Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was elected as the President of Turkmenistan in 2007, the physical education classes were introduced in all educational institutions of the country, starting from kindergartens. To date, the physical education classes for the students in the secondary and higher educational institutions have a positive effect on their progress in other academic subjects.
According to the Decree of our Hero-Arkadag dated November 12, 2009 on the organization and holding of annual sports events under the motto ‘Turkmenistan – a Country of Health and Inspiration’, the sports and university games are held in primary, secondary, vocational and higher educational institutions, as well as ministries and departments. Annual national competitions in different sports are organized for the teams from Velayats and Ashgabat. Moreover, the adoption of the abovementioned Decree gave a new impetus to the development of mass sports and physical culture and received wide support from thousands of people who lead a healthy lifestyle, as well as from ordinary employees and sports organizations. Regular sports competitions held under the abovementioned motto are aimed at attracting all segments of the population to mass physical culture and sports, at promoting the principles of a healthy lifestyle, at educating the younger generations in the spirit of love for sports and respect for conscientious work, and at developing new sports talents in independent and permanently neutral Turkmenistan.
A person's mental state is closely related to physical health. Thus, physical training and sports form a part of culture and play a significant role in the life of the Turkmen society. In general, physical education is the source of health. From this point of view, mass physical culture and sports movement has a wide scope and a long-term national legal basis in our country. This fact is reflected in the adopted national programmes.
Moreover, the Law of Turkmenistan ‘On Physical Culture and Sports’ adopted on August 22, 2020 is crucial in promoting the principles of a healthy lifestyle in the Turkmen society, in meeting the needs of people to engage in physical education and sports on a regular basis, and in providing useful leisure time for our compatriots. The Law creates the legal basis and necessary conditions for the effective implementation of the potential of physical education and sports in strengthening the health of people and in preventing diseases.
The President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted in the speech at the VII Congress of Magtymguly Youth Organization of Turkmenistan on September 1, 2022, ‘Physical education and sports ensure harmonious development of society, play an important role in development of human qualities and encourage enthusiasm, will and self-confidence. Therefore, our country conducts an efficient work to attract people, especially the youth to practice physical training and sports and promotes the principles of a healthy lifestyle’. This fact indicates that the Turkmen leader prioritizes the key issues of protecting people's health. Physical education and sports are the most important means to pursue these issues. The support for the youth sports and physical education is the main goal of the sports system, when we take into account the tasks of a draft version of the Law of Turkmenistan ‘On the State Youth Policy’ adopted at that historic Congress.
Excellent conditions have been created by the President of Turkmenistan to follow the principles of a healthy lifestyle and to engage in physical training and sports in our beloved Motherland. We express sincere gratitude to our Hero-Arkadag Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov for these conditions.
Gurtgeldi GARYAGDYEV,
the head at the Youth Policy and Public Events Department,
the Ministry of Sports and Youth Policy of Turkmenistan.
