As part of a working trip to the capital of Turkmenistan, on June 30 the Secretary General of the ROC Rodion Plitukhin held talks with the Secretary General of NOC Turkmenistan Ata Akmammedov and heads of departments of the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport of Turkmenistan.
Following the meeting, the parties signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding between the ROC and NOC Turkmenistan in order to promote the fundamental principles and values of Olympism, ensure compliance with the IOC Olympic Charter, protect the rights of athletes, coaches and specialists, promote the development of mass sport and elite sport, as well as effectively develop bilateral cooperation in the humanitarian sphere.
In particular, the Memorandum provides for cooperation in terms of training coaches and athletes. The participants of the meeting discussed in detail the practical possibilities for holding educational seminars and attracting specialized experts to improve the skills of coaches working both in the field of youth sport and elite sport.
– Winter sports are a new direction for us. Quite recently, three ice arenas were built in Ashgabat, which makes it possible to develop hockey, figure skating and short track. We have created the necessary infrastructure, there are sports federations, as well as hockey clubs and youth schools. Given that these sports are well developed in Russia, it would be advisable to consider assistance in training coaching staff both on a short-term and long-term basis, – noted Ata Akmammedov.
Special attention was given to the discussion of medical support for elite sport, including the importance of including specialists such as sports psychologists in the composition of sports delegations. The parties discussed in detail the aspect of sports psychology. The Secretary General of the ROC spoke about the work of psychologists from Team Russia and their role during the Olympic Games.
Representatives of Turkmenistan spoke about the intensive development of sports infrastructure, as well as about the already built sports facilities in the city of national importance Arkadag, officially opened on June 29, 2023 and whose inauguration ceremony was attended by the ROC delegation. The plan for the new city already includes a multidisciplinary sports complex, a sports centre and a 10,000-seat stadium.
The issues of marketing, fundraising, sponsorship and charitable donations were also discussed.
Ata Akmammedov stressed that the National Olympic Committees of our friendly states have been carrying out effective cooperation for numerous years, and today’s signing of the updated Memorandum of Cooperation will not only strengthen it, but also open up new opportunities for the implementation of joint projects.
