Saparmurat Turkmenbashi Olympic Stadium


Saparmurat Turkmenbashi Olympic Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, that stood on the site now occupied by the New Olympic Stadium, which is being built from 2013 until 2017.

Overview

The stadium holds 30,000 people and was built in 2003. Despite the use of the name "Olympic Stadium" the facility was neither built as part of a bid to host the Olympic Games, nor has it been used in such games.
In 2007 the Turkmen government decided to reconstruct the stadium and to enlarge it. The new arena will hold up to 45,000 people. The stadium closed in 2012, and was partially demolished in 2013 for redevelopment. The most prominent feature of the new renovations is the horse head of "Akhal-Teke" which resembles the national emblem of the country.

Events

It was used mostly for football matches, but also for musical performances by Turkmen pop stars such as Maral Ibragimova.
The renovated stadium was the site of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, which is also counted as the 5th Asian Indoor Games. The opening and closing ceremonies for the games were held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan on 17 and 27 September 2017.