Tag Archives: sport

IOC strips Georgian of silver Olympic medal

JAN. 17 (The Conway Bulletin) — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped Georgian wrestler Davit Modzmanashvili of his silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics because he failed doping tests. The IOC is re-testing urine and blood samples taken from the 2012 Olympics using the latest methods. Since 2017, Mr Modzmanashvili has represented Uzbekistan. He won a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Championships in Bishkek.
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>>This story was first published in issue 397 of The Conway Bulletin on Jan. 20 2019

Ashgabat hosts Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games

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SEPT. 17 (The Bulletin) — Leaders from across Central Asia, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan converged on Ashgabat to attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. On the sidelines of the Games, which Turkmen Pres. Kurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has used to enhance his prestige, the leaders talked trade and politics; promised to boost relations and deepen cooperation.

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— This story was first published in issue 344 of The Conway Bulletin, now called the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin, on Sept. 24 2017.

— Copyright the Central Asia & South Caucasus Bulletin 2017

Kyrgyzstan vs Myanmar football match cancelled

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SEPT. 4 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan cancelled a football match with Myanmar because of what it described as terror threats. The inference from the Kyrgyz authorities was that Myanmar’s treatment of its Muslim Rohingya minority meant the team was vulnerable to an attack. Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist country. Last year a suspected Uighur extremist drove a car bomb into the Chinese embassy in Bishkek.

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(News report from Issue No. 342, published on Sept. 7 2017)

Thousands of Turkmen lose homes before Games

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SEPT. 4 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Human Rights Watch accused the Turkmen authorities of forcibly evicting people from their homes and for failing to give them adequate compensation. The allegations were made on the eve of the opening of the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. Turkmenistan’s president, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has set much store by the Games. News reports have been leaking out of the country over the past year of mass evictions to make way for Games’ infrastructure. The Turkmen government has not responded.

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(News report from Issue No. 342, published on Sept. 7 2017)

Tbilisi hosts world chess championships

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AUG. 31 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — The world’s top chess players gathered in Tbilisi for the FIDE World Cup, which carries a $1.28m prize and qualifies the top two players for a tournament to decide who will take on champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway next year. FIDE is the World Chess Federation, currently headed by Kirsan Ilymuzhinov. The tournament will host 128 players.

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(News report from Issue No. 342, published on Sept. 7 2017)

Azerbaijani sprinter wins 200m gold medal for Turkey

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AUG. 10 2017 (The Bulletin) — Competing for Turkey, Azerbaijan- born sprinter Ramil Guliyev won 200m gold at the World Athletics Championship in London.

The 27-year-old’s shock victory was Turkey’s only medal at the championship and a rare win for a track and field athlete from Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Kazakhstan’s Olga Rypakova, Olympic triple jump champion in 2012, also won a bronze medal.

A jubilant Guliyev did a lap of honour carrying both the Turkish and Azerbaijani flags. He competed for Azerbaijan until 2011 before switching to Turkey because he said that the Turkish facilities were better.

To win the 200m, Guliyev beat favourites Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa and Isaac Makwala of Botswana. “This is not a shock,” he was widely quoted as saying. “But it does not feel real.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was quick to congratulate Guliyev.

“I would like to note that for the first time, an Azerbaijani athlete becomes the world champion in athletics,” media quoted him as saying. “It is gratifying that you raised the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey following your victory. It shows that you are a patriot devoted to your people.”

Tajikistan’s Andrey Abduvaliyev is the only athlete competing for a Central Asia or South Caucasus state to become World Champion. He won Gold the hammer twice, in Stuttgart in 1993 and in Gothenburg in 1995.

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(News report from Issue No. 339, published on Aug. 13 2017)

LG & Coke sponsor Games in Turkmen capital

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JUNE 27 2017 (The Bulletin) — Korea’s LG International and Coca- Cola will be the main sponsors for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) to be held in Ashgabat in September, a sports media website reported. AIMAG is seen by Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov as an important prestige occasion and is the first major international sports event that Turkmenistan has hosted.

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(News report from Issue No. 335, published on July 3 2017)

Australia’s Ricciardo wins GP in Azerbaijan

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JUNE 25 2017 (The Bulletin) — Australian Daniel Ricciardo won the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Baku after what commentators described as a chaotic race with several crashes. Ricciardo races for the Red Bull team. This was the second F1 race in Baku, but the first called the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The first race, held in 2016, was called the European Grand Prix.

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(News report from Issue No. 334, published on June 26 2017)

Mkhitaryan receives award from Armenia

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MAY 28 2017 (The Bulletin) — Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the Manchester United footballer, received Armenia’s highest order for “Services to Motherland” at a ceremony presided over by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Mr Mkhitaryan who has played for Manchester United for one season is arguably the world’s best-known Armenian. He is certainly the best footballer Armenia has produced and is the first Armenian to play in the English Premier League.

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(News report from Issue No. 331, published on June 5 2017)

Azerbaijan closes Islamic Solidarity Games

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MAY 22 2017 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijan officially closed the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games that it has been hosting in Baku. Azerbaijan topped the medals table during the 11-day competition that featured a range of events from football to athletics. Azerbaijan has invested heavily in its sport facilities, using these set piece events to promote itself.

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(News report from Issue No. 330, published on May 28 2017)