ArmInfo.On September 17, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan participated in the opening ceremony of the 5th Asian Games in Closed Premises and in the Martial Arts "Ashgabat 2017" in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat.
At the grand opening ceremony, which was held in Ashgabat Olympic Complex, guests arrived from around the world. In the games that will last from September 17 to September 27 delegations from 65 countries take part, several hundred journalists from all over the world will closely follow the competitions in 21 sports, about 267 competitions will be held. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov at the opening ceremony, wished the athletes success and thanked all those who participated in organizing and conducting this important event for the country.
After raising the flag of Turkmenistan and the flag of the Olympic Council of Asia and the performance of the hymns, a dramatized presentation of the most important historical events of the Turkmen people began from the period 2000 BC. At the present time, the spectators could admire the camels, the Turkish Alabama, and 65 thoroughbred Akhal-Teke horses that demonstrated spectacular and mesmerizing show. The ceremony of opening games with the lighting of the Olympic flame of the Asian Games and a brilliant fireworks was completed.
Asiada-2017 is held in the Olympic town, an area of 157 hectares, in the territory of which 30 unique objects were built. For comfort the movement of participants and guests across the vast territory of the complex is a monorail road that connects the sports town, designed for 12,000 inhabitants, to sports complexes.
As part of the Asiada-2017 program, competitions will be held in such sports as chess, futsal, tennis, Muay Thai (Thai boxing), sambo, kurash, jujits, bowling, cycling on the track, swimming in the 50-meter pool, light and heavy athletics, basketball, taekwondo (WTF), sports dancing, kickboxing, wrestling, wrestling (Greco-Roman and freestyle), billiards, wrestling and national Turkmen wrestling. For the first time in these games are participating countries of Oceania.
The first similar Games took place in 2005 in Bangkok (Thailand), the second - in 2007 in Macau, the third - in 2009 in Vietnam. Since the IV Asian Games in closed rooms, they began to be held every four years and with the addition of a martial arts competition program. The fourth Asiad was held in 2013 in the Korean city of Incheon. The decision to hold the V Asian Games in indoor and martial arts in Ashgabat in 2017 was taken in 2010 in the capital of Kuwait, where the headquarters of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), uniting 45 countries of the world, is located.