The 100-Day Countdown to The Ashgabat 2017 5th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games was celebrated in grand style at the multi-functional stadium of Mary, a city in Turkmenistan.
This is a competition Indian athletes will be eagerly looking forward to. Ever since it started as the Asian Indoor Games in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2005, Indian athletes have won 25 gold, 28 silver and 66 bronze medals to occupy the ninth place on the all-time medal list.
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Over 100 media personnel from all across the globe attended the colourful 100-Day countdown ceremony that featured thousands of dancers and carefully choreographed cultural programmes.
While numerous excited, flag-waving fans took their seats in the stadium well in advance, around 1,000 children dressed in bright-coloured clothing transformed the football field into a virtual garden.
The 100-Day countdown ceremony began with the release of thousands of coloured balloons into the air. Soon, 17 riders astride Turkmenistan’s national pride — the royal Akhal-Teke horses — passed through the stadium.
The group of horsemen, who had ridden across four of the five provinces in Turkmenistan before beginning the last leg of their journey to Ashgabat, received thunderous applause. Their journey is part of a grand tour of Turkmenistan, which will culminate in Ashgabat to kick-off the Games in September.
Several hundred Turkmen men and women, dressed in traditional as well as sports tracksuits and pants, followed the horsemen in a celebratory march past.
The stadium reverberated with the sounds of loud music and cheers as people celebrated the momentous occasion. They were treated to great dance performances and programmes that highlighted Turkmenistan’s deep roots to history.
Earlier in the day, the visiting media delegation watched with great interest as several hundred children and young people engaged in demonstration events in different disciplines — chess, gymnastics, jiu-jitsu, wrestling and the traditional Turkmen sport of tug of war.
The journalists then attended the International Media Forum, held under the theme “Asian Games — 2017 in the World Press,” jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the State Committee of Turkmenistan for Television, Radio Broadcasting and Cinematography.
Participants of the International Media Forum also visited the Ashgabat Olympic Complex, Turkmen National Carpet Museum, the ancient city of Merv and International Akhal-Teke Equestrian Sports Complex.
