President of Turkmenistan ascends the Path of Health

Following the standing rule to find time in his busy schedule for sports, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov together with the heads of military and law enforcement agencies and Ashgabat Khyakim ascended the Path of Health.

The comprehensive concern about the people’s well-being, the steady improve of the living conditions, the physical and spiritual health of people, the upbringing of physically strong and broad-minded youth ranks among the important state tasks in Turkmenistan. Due to the measures taken by the government on the Turkmen leader’s initiatives to develop the mass sports movement, the healthy lifestyle has become a national idea that unites the society in combating bad habits and helps to create favorable conditions for the harmonious development of the Turkmen people.

In the framework of the National Programme for the Support and Development of Physical Culture and Sports in Turkmenistan for 2011-2020, an unprecedented work has been done in the country to create the modern sports and recreation infrastructure. The magnificent sports complexes, stadiums, equestrian complexes, motordromes, and specialized sports schools were built in the capital and the regions of the country.

The children's health-improving centers constructed in the picturesque surroundings of the capital – the Gokdere settlement, as well as in the Avaza National Tourist Zone on the environmentally friendly Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea - have excellent conditions for active leisure. There are sports halls and grounds equipped with the necessary inventory in all educational and preschool institutions - schools, universities.

In close cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and sports federations, various sports, including new ones for Turkmenistan such as motor racing, hockey, figure skating, water sports are developing in the country. In recent years, our athletes take an active part in the international competitions and win prizes. That is vividly proved by the triumphant performance of Turkmen athletes in the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

This year under the motto "Turkmenistan is the heart of the Great Silk Road" is marked for our country by the major event "Amul-Hazar 2018" that includes the track and field athletics cross-country, bike ride and international rally. These mass sports competitions started with the participation of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in the administrative center of the Lebap Velayat - the city of Turkmenabat in February.
The decision of the Executive Council of the International Weightlifting Federation to hold the 2018 World Weightlifting Championship in Ashgabat testifies to the high international authority of Turkmenistan as a sports power.

The festivities on occasion of the World Health Day that is annually celebrated in Turkmenistan together with the world community on April 7, are unprecedented in the scope. By tradition, the national sports events in our country unite the representatives of all ages and professions - workers of ministries and departments, state institutions, social and cultural spheres, workers of various sectors of the national economy, students and schoolchildren. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who actively practices various sports, inspires thousands of Turkmen citizens with his personal example.

The Path of Health, located at the foothills of the Kopetdag Mountains, symbolizes the state policy of Turkmenistan in the sphere of the popularization of healthy lifestyle. This footpath is one of the favourite places of leisure activities of Ashgabat citizens, the venue for large-scale sports events and cultural actions.

While ascending the Health Path, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov emphasized the importance of taking the complex approach to training highly skilled personnel for the military and law-enforcement agencies. The Turkmen leader gave a number of specific instructions on the military and patriotic education of personnel, their physical training, the creation of conditions for regular sports activities.

When ascending the Path of Health, the Turkmen leader walked many kilometres, as usual, and jogged along some sections of the route.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov paid particular attention to the improvement of the territory adjacent to the route, including the preparation of the platform, where the monument to the great classic of the Turkmen literature, poet and philosopher – Magtymguly Fraghi will be erected.

President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov underlined that particular attention should be paid to the creation of parklands and recreation areas in this beautiful corner, as well as all comfortable conditions for recreation of citizens and guests of Ashgabat. According to the Turkmen leader, clean mountain air, and the picturesque views of nature raise the mood of people and inspirit them. The beauty of the local landscape should harmoniously blend with the numerous trees and flowers planted along and around the Path of Health that maintains the environmental situation in the foothills of the mountains.

The President of Turkmenistan instructed the Ashgabat Khyakim to continue the large-scale works in this area given the local natural climatic conditions.

Upon completion of the ascent along the Path of Health, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov headed the sports center in the Olympic Village to do some exercises on gymnasia apparatus. The heads of the military and law enforcement bodies also performed some exercises in the gym.
Talking to the companions, the President of Turkmenistan underlined that sport stood a source of health and strength, and more and more followers joined the sports movement in Turkmenistan. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that it was very important to support this positive trend by conducting competitions not only among athletes, but also to involve the funs of the healthy lifestyle into the sports events. The regular sports exercises favorably affects not only the physical, but also the emotional state of a person, as well as the intellectual and creative activity.

Upon completion of the training session, the Turkmen leader once again underlined the necessity to keep the issues related to the popularization and development of sports and physical culture under the rigorous control.