Bahrain taekwondo group are ready to perform in the arena of the 5th Asian Games in enclosed spaces and in martial arts, to officially start in less than ten days.  In this version of the Korean martial art on behalf of the smallest Arab nation, female trio – Wala’a Al-Dossari, sisters Juana and Jomana Mohammed – will compete in weight categories under 57 kg, 62 kg and 73 kg respectively. They have been trained by coach Tawfeeq Nuwaiser.  In Ashgabat 2017 Taekwondo competitions will be fea...

The Olympic Village hosted the flag raising ceremony for another several dozens of nations whose delegations have already arrived in the Turkmen capital to take part in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.  The ceremony began after the welcoming address by the senior executives of the National Olympic Committee of Turkmenistan. The Bhutan team was honored to be the first nation to raise its flag. Then the flag of Oman soared up above the Olympic complex. The flag of the national team...

Uzbekistan’s Taekwondo fighters will be setting their sights on making a major impact at the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat as the country aims to further establish itself among the sport’s elite.  The event gets underway on Sunday at the Ashgabat Olympic Complex with a glittering Opening Ceremony that will officially herald Turkmenistan’s entry into the world of hosting major sporting events, and Taekwondo is expected to be a blue chip event.  And will give Uzbekistan...

While the men's national Wrestling team train on the mats at a gym in the suburbs of Ashgabat, the women’s team are pumping iron on the weight machines beside them as they enter the final days of preparation for the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the biggest event of their lives. The women are relatively inexperienced and some have only competed at the regional level, but they are not daunted by the task of trying to do their country proud at Ashgabat 2017 which gets underway with t...

We’re just days away from the start of the Ashgabat 2017 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, the biggest sporting event to ever come to Central Asia. With well over 6,000 athletes and team officials on hand to represent 65 delegations from across Asia and Oceania, all set to compete in 21 sports over the course of 12 days of events, Ashgabat 2017 is truly a monumental undertaking and a momentous occasion for Turkmenistan and the city of Ashgabat.  A sporting event the size of Ashgabat 20...

Thailand may be Muaythai’s home land, but the performances of host nation Malaysia at August’s South East Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur proves the sport’s originators may not have everything their own way when the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games kick off in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on Sunday. Thailand and Malaysia won two gold medals each in the discipline with the Thais narrowly topping the medal table by virtue of claiming three silvers to Malaysia’s silver and a bronze as the tradition...

As some of the world’s leading athletes continue to arrive in Ashgabat for the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, which get underway on Sunday, the home grown talent appears to be confident of being among the medals. Out of the 6,000 athletes and officials flooding into Turkmenistan from 65 delegations across Asia and Oceania, few are feeling more confident of putting on a good show than Kickboxer Mustafa Najmuddin, who has already won this year at Asian level in the host country’s capi...