Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Olympic Stadium

Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Olympic Stadium
Interior of the stadium during AIMAG 2017
Map
LocationAshgabat, Turkmenistan
Capacity45,000
Record attendance30,000 (Turkmenistan v Hong Kong, 18 November 2007)[1]
Construction
Opened2003
Renovated2013–2017
ArchitectAFL Architects / Arup
General contractorMensel JV Consulting & Contracting Inc.[2][3]
Renovation by Polimeks.[4]
Tenants
Turkmenistan national football team[5]

Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Olympic Stadium (Turkmen: Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy adyndaky Olimpiýa Stadiony) was a multi-purpose stadium in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, that stood on the site now occupied by the new Olympic Stadium, built between 2013 and 2017.[6]

Overview

[edit]
Stadium exterior at night

The stadium held 30,000 people and was built in 2003, named for Saparmurat Niyazov. In 2017, it hosted Asian Olympic Council’s Asian Indoor & Martial Arts games that included participation from Australia and wider Oceania.[7] The wider Ashgabat Olympic Park also hosted the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships.

In 2007 the Turkmen government decided to reconstruct the stadium and to enlarge it. The new arena seats up to 45,000 people.[8] The stadium closed in 2012, and was partially demolished in 2013 for redevelopment.[6][9][10] The most prominent feature of the new renovations is head of an Ahal-Teke horse, which resembles the national emblem of the country.[11]

Events

[edit]

The stadium is mostly used for football matches by the Turkmen national football team, but also for musical performances by Turkmen pop stars such as Maral Ibragimova.[12]

The reconstructed stadium was the site of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, also called the 5th Asian Indoor Games. The opening and closing ceremonies for the games were held on 17 and 27 September 2017.[13]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Turkmenistan 3 – 0 Hong Kong
  2. ^ "Лента событий | Интернет-газета Turkmenistan.Ru".
  3. ^ Olympia Stadion Ashkhabat
  4. ^ Ashgabat Olympic Stadium
  5. ^ Turkmenistan – Indonesia
  6. ^ a b New design: Olympic Stadium resembling… a horse
  7. ^ "Ashgabat 2017". ocasia.org.
  8. ^ Infos on tourism-sport.gov.tm Archived 2009-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Olimpiýa taýýarlyk: Çykdajylar we ýerliklilik
  10. ^ "Olympic" stadium is being dismantled in Ashgabat
  11. ^ "New stadium: The 600-ton horse head in Ashgabat". StadiumDB. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  12. ^ "video of Maral performing at Ashgabat Olympic Stadium". 5 March 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  13. ^ "OCA signs host agreement with Turkmenistan". 19 December 2010.
[edit]

37°54′15.93″N 58°22′37.51″E / 37.9044250°N 58.3770861°E / 37.9044250; 58.3770861