In mid-autumn, the 10th anniversary Turkmenistan Ice Hockey Championship will start in Ashgabat. The current champion of the country, the “Galkan” club of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is aiming for its tenth consecutive victory in the national championship. Chairman of the Hockey Federation of Turkmenistan Jora Hudayberdyev spoke about “Galkan's” preparations for the upcoming season and the prospects for hockey development in the country on the pages of the “Neutral Turkmenistan” newspaper.
According to Hudayberdyev, the summer training of the “Galkan” hockey players includes not only training on the ice, but also various aerobic exercises. The players play football, swim and do track and field. The team trains at a modern base in the “Galkan” Winter Sports Center, equipped with the latest sports equipment.
The club's management entrusted the team's preparation to the coaching tandem consisting of the captain of the national team, Ahmet Gurbanov, and former “Galkan” player, Guvanch Jepbarov, who had previously successfully worked with the country's youth team.
It is worth noting that most of the “Galkan” players are also members of the national team of Turkmenistan. This means that in addition to preparing for the national championship, the team is preparing to participate in international tournaments.
Let us remind that in April of this year, “Galkan” won the International Hockey Tournament Cup, which was held in the Ashgabat Winter Sports Complex with the participation of 10 teams from 10 countries. The Turkmen did not suffer a single defeat during these competitions. Including in the final match with the “ORKHIS-Kazan” team, over which the “Galkan” hockey players won a strong-willed victory with a score of 4:2.
