“Gundogar” with reference to RIA Novosti reports that on 17 May Turkmenistan was admitted as an associate member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) at the IIHF Congress held in Copenhagen within the framework of the World Championship.
“Turkmenistan has fulfilled its obligations. Now it is a member of IIHF and has one vote. We would like to thank Turkmenistan for taking part in our competitions”,— the IIHF General Secretary Horst Lichtner said.
Moreover, on 19 May Russia’s Hockey Federation and Turkmenistan’s Hockey Federation signed a memorandum of cooperation. The document was signed by Jora Khudaiberdyev of Turkmenistan’s Hockey Federation and President of Russia’s Hockey Federation Vladislav Tretyak.
The document envisages organizing and hosting joint events including matches between national teams of Russia and Turkmenistan and exhibition games bringing together Russian hockey clubs in Turkmenistan.
According to the media outlet, the first hockey tournament for Turkmenistan President’s Cup was held in 2012. In 2013 the tournament was awarded the international status. In 2015 the first tournament in honour of Turkmenistan’s Day of State Flag was held.
In 2018 Turkmenistan’s team won a qualification tournament in Sarajevo where it competed with hockey players from Kuwait, the UAE, Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the first time obtained the right to compete in the third division of the world championship in 2019.
The tournament is scheduled to be held in May 2019 in Slovakia where Turkmen hockey players will compete with teams from Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Turkey, Taiwan and South Africa.
As of today three indoor ice arenas have been built, including the National Olympic Ice Palace with a capacity of 1000 spectators (opened in 2006) and the Winter Sports Complex with ice arena designed to accommodate 10 thousand spectators (opened in 2011).