5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Ashgabat,
Turkmenistan, September 27, 2017: The President of Turkmenistan, His Excellency
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, brought the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
to a close in a party atmosphere at the Ashgabat Olympic Stadium on Wednesday
evening.
The games, which were awarded to Ashgabat by the Olympic Council of Asia in
2010, opened on September 17 and have involved 6,000 athletes and officials
from 65 teams – 45 from the OCA, 19 from Oceania and the African Refugee Team.
Thirteen of the 15 competition venues for the 21 sports were located in the
Ashgabat Olympic Complex, and the 45,000-capacity Ashgabat Olympic Stadium
hosted the opening and closing ceremony. The closing ceremony began with the
arrival of the athletes, before the OCA President, HE Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al
Sabah, addressed the audience.
He said the success of the games would not have been possible without the
“vision and day-to-day involvement” of President Berdimuhamedov. “This has been
a wonderful journey for all of us,” he said. “Thank you for inviting us to your
country and your capital Ashgabat. Congratulations on the best ever Asian
Indoor and Martial Arts Games!
“This is the end of the games. But it is not the end of our friendship and
partnership. Ashgabat – we will see you again. We love you,” said Sheikh Ahmad,
to cheers from a full house. Sheikh Ahmad described the venues as
“world-class”, and said he was convinced that Ashgabat had the capability to
host more major international events.
“The games have been an outstanding success,” he said. “We have witnessed a
special games in a special city and will go home with special memories.” Sheikh
Ahmad also thanked the 8,000 yellow-shirted volunteers for their support and
said they had been the smiling and hospitable face of the games, the city and
of Turkmenistan.
President Berdimuhamedov then declared the games closed, and the flame in the
cauldron behind the giant statue of a horse’s head overlooking the stadium
slowly faded away. The rest of the evening was filled by a short cultural
performance before the stadium was transformed into a pop concert with acts
from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Lebanon and Turkey, as well as from the British
pop star John Newman, best known for the track “Love Me Again”.
The closing ceremony ended with an extravagant fireworks display before
President Berdimuhamedov waved to the crowd from the VIP balcony and left the
stadium alongside Sheikh Ahmad.