Ashgabat Olympic Stadium (Turkmen: Aşgabat Olimpiýa stadiony; (formerly and also known as the Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Olympic Stadium) is a outdoor multi-purpose stadium in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. It opened in 2017 on the site of the original Olympic Stadium, which had stood from 2003 until 2013.[7] The stadium is Turkmenistan's national football stadium, and thus was hosts the majority of the Turkmenistan national team.
 Interior of the stadium during AIMAG 2017 | |
 | |
| Full name | Ashgabat Olympic Stadium |
|---|---|
| Former names | Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Olympic Stadium (2003–2013) |
| Address | Ashgabat Olympic Complex, 7 Kopetdag District 744000 |
| Location | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan |
| Public transit | Ashgabat Monorail |
| Owner | Government of Ashgabat |
| Operator | Management of the Olympic Town of Administration of Ashgabat city [1] |
| Capacity | 45,000 |
| Record attendance | 30,000 (Turkmenistan v Hong Kong, 18 November 2007)[2] |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2003 |
| Renovated | 2013–2017 |
| Architect | AFL Architects / Arup |
| General contractor | Mensel JV Consulting & Contracting Inc.[3][4] Renovation by Polimeks.[5] |
| Tenants | |
| Turkmenistan national football team (selected matches) [6] | |
| Website | |
| aoc | |
The stadium is a part of the Ashgabat Olympic Complex, and is located in Kopetdag District of Ashgabat city.[8] The stadium is located at Ashgabat Olympic Complex, 7, Ashgabat city.[9]
History
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The stadium held 30,000 people and was built in 2003, named for Saparmurat Niyazov.
In 2007 the Turkmen government decided to reconstruct the stadium and to enlarge it. The new arena seats up to 45,000 people.[10] The stadium closed in 2012, and was partially demolished in 2013 for redevelopment.[7][11][12]
Renovation for AIMAG 2017
editThe construction of the stadium was completed in 2016, but it was officially opened in 2017. The stadium was designed by the British architectural firms AFL Architects and Arup, with construction carried out by the Turkish company Polimeks.
The exterior of the stadium is designed in white tones, with the northern facade featuring a depiction of an Akhal-Teke horse's head. The stadium has a seating capacity of 45,000 spectators. Its two-tiered stands are fully covered by a roof.
The most prominent feature of the new renovations is head of an Ahal-Teke horse, which resembles the national emblem of the country.[13] The artistic depiction of an Akhal-Teke horse adorning the grandstand of the Olympic Stadium, recognized as the largest horse symbol in the world and listed in the Guinness World Records, measures 40.05 meters (131 ft 4.9 in) in height, 37.69 meters (123 ft 7.9 in) in length, and 40.24 meters (132 ft 0.6 in) at its widest point. [14][15] Weighing 600 tonnes, the statue commemorates Turkmenistan's rich equestrian history.
In 2017, it hosted Asian Olympic Council’s Asian Indoor & Martial Arts games that included participation from Australia and wider Oceania.[16] The wider Ashgabat Olympic Park also hosted the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships.
Events
editThe 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.[17]
The stadium used for matches of the Turkmenistan national football team at 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification[18] and 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification.[19]
The stadium hosted home matches for HTTU[20] and Nebitchi[21] during the group stage of the 2007 AFC Cup.
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.[22]
Interesting facts
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The Ashgabat Olympic Stadium is even honored by being featured on the 100 Turkmen manat banknote. [23]
In 2017, a set of two commemorative 100 manat coins was issued to honor the V Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, featuring a gold and a silver coin, both depicting the Ashgabat Olympic Stadium. [24][25]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ [1]
- ^ Turkmenistan 3 – 0 Hong Kong
- ^ "Лента событий | Интернет-газета Turkmenistan.Ru".
- ^ Olympia Stadion Ashkhabat
- ^ Ashgabat Olympic Stadium
- ^ Turkmenistan – Indonesia
- ^ a b New design: Olympic Stadium resembling… a horse
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ Infos on tourism-sport.gov.tm Archived 2009-05-29 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Olimpiýa taýýarlyk: Çykdajylar we ýerliklilik
- ^ "Olympic" stadium is being dismantled in Ashgabat
- ^ "New stadium: The 600-ton horse head in Ashgabat". StadiumDB. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
- ^ The statue of horse decorating the Olympic stadium and the Centre of Water Sports are listed in the Guinness World Record Book
- ^ Largest horse head sculpture
- ^ "Ashgabat 2017". ocasia.org.
- ^ "video of Maral performing at Ashgabat Olympic Stadium". 5 March 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ [7]
- ^ "OCA signs host agreement with Turkmenistan". 19 December 2010.
- ^ [8]
- ^ Памятные монеты 2017 года
- ^ [9]
External links
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- Management of the Olympic town of Administration of the Ashgabat city
- Largest horse head sculpture at Guinness World Records Limited website
- New Project
37°54′15.93″N 58°22′37.51″E / 37.9044250°N 58.3770861°E