Turkmenistan to host Central Asia's largest Olympic town

ASHGABAT. November 6. KAZINFORM The construction of the largest Olympic town in Central Asia worth several billion dollars began in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat on Friday, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said the "unique" sports center will accommodate about 30 facilities, including a hockey palace with a capacity of 10,000 people, a large swimming pool, a cycle track, and a tennis court.

"I am convinced that athletes from all over the world will participate in large-scale international events and achieve the highest results here in just a few years," he said.

Some $2 billion dollars is expected to be spent on the construction of the sports center, which will be carried out with using the most advanced technologies, the president said.

According to a source in the Turkmen government, the construction will cost about $5 billion.

First Olympic town's facilities are expected to be ready by April 2014, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru