Journalists of the website “Gundogar” have estimated the number of athletes registered for the Asian Games contests as of today. Their number is 4066 people.
According to the media outlet, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov said that a considerably bigger number of participants would take part in AIMAG.
For instance, the official website of Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry published the speech made by the President as of 7 April 2017, where the head of the state announced that “about 6 thousand athletes are scheduled to take part in V Asian Games”.
Turkmenistan represents the most numerous team (496 people). This is almost twice as much as the second most numerous team of Thailand (249 athletes).
Brunei, Eastern Timor, Burma and North Korea sent one athlete each to Ashgabat.
Kuwait, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk, Wallis and Futuna, Northern Marian Islands and Tokelau will not participate in the Games.
Apart from national teams, 5 stateless athletes representing the so-called “team of refugees” are scheduled to take part in the Games under the flag of the Olympic Council of Asia.
Interestingly enough, the Turkmen hurdle racing team has no rivals so far. “This is going to be the first gold medal for the team!”, — the official “Gundogar” group in Facebook says.