On April 15, an international hockey tournament with the participation of club teams from 10 countries starts in Ashgabat.
Turkmenistan will be represented at the tournament by the eight-time national champion “Galkan”, representing the sports club of the same name of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
At the preliminary stage of the competition, Galkan hockey players will play in Group A with the teams Ice Box (Iran), Oman Khanjars (Oman), Bahrain (Bahrain) and Phoenix (Uzbekistan).
Group “B” was formed by: “Volat” (Belarus), “Akmola” (Kazakhstan), “Dordoi” (Kyrgyz Republic), “Orhis-Kazan” (Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation) and “Gumush Patentler SK” (Turkey).
The group winners will compete for the grand prize in the final on April 20. And the teams that take second place will determine the bronze medalist of the tournament in a head-to-head match.
In Turkmenistan, known for its rich natural gas reserves and the Karakum Desert that occupies most of the country, the game of hockey is a fairly new phenomenon. However, Ashgabat currently has three indoor ice arenas with four skating rinks. Another Ice Palace for winter sports, designed for almost 3 thousand visitors, operates in the Avaza National Tourist Zone on the shores of the Caspian Sea, writes the online publication Arzuw News.
The first National Olympic Ice Palace for 1000 spectators was built in 2006, and then two more arenas were put into operation. The largest of these sports facilities is the Winter Sports Complex, which can accommodate 10 thousand fans, where matches of the international hockey tournament will be held.
The development of hockey in Turkmenistan began in 2012, when the first national tournament for the Cup of the President of Turkmenistan was held. The winners were then sent to training camps at the hockey youth sports school of the Kazan club "Ak Bars" - one of the best sports centers in Europe. Since then, the level of Turkmen hockey players began to grow rapidly.
In 2015, Turkmenistan became an associate member of the International Hockey Federation, and in 2018 - its full member.
The successes of the national and junior teams at international tournaments, including winning medals, indicate the rapid progress of Turkmen hockey. There is hope that the upcoming international tournament in Ashgabat will become another milestone in the development of this sport in the country.
