Turkmen President Qurbanguly Berdimuhamedow has awarded Turkmen coaches and athletes – members of the national team who made a personal contribution to the victory of Turkmenistan in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat – with honorary titles “Honorary Coach of Turkmenistan” and “Honorary Master of Sports of Turkmenistan” and coaches.  Besides, they have received valuable gifts.

In response to this, Turkmen athletes have presented President Gurbangulu Berdimuhamedov with a golden bike, according to the online news website Otkrytaya Aziya online.

The president has reportedly thanked the athletes and said that he will hand over the gift to the museum.   

Recall, Turkmenistan with 254 medals (88 gold, 70 silver and 86 bronze medals) won the overall team title at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.  It is followed by China (97 medals – 42 gold, 32 silver and 23 bronze medals) and Iran (118 medals – 36 gold, 23 silver and 59 bronze medals).  

The 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, which are also counted as the 5th Asian Indoor Games, were held in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat.  Ashgabat, first in the former Soviet Central Asian region, won the right to host the Asian Indoor Games. 

The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games were held at the Ashgabat Olympic Complex, which is a unique facility which has no parallel in the Central Asian region.  The Complex boasts of over 30 structures, which also includes 15 competition venues, an Athletes' Village and a Paralympic Rehabilitation Medical Center.  The construction was launched by the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.  On November 5, 2010, the Turkmenistan President took part in the official stone laying ceremony for the Olympic Village.  Investment in the first phase amounted to nearly $2 billion.  The second phase of construction cost $3 billion.  The total cost of the Olympic Village was $5 billion and the construction was carried by Turkish construction company Polimeks.