E-sports is rapidly gaining widespread popularity around the world. Even 20 years ago, no one could have imagined that computer game championships would gather sports arenas, and that the games themselves would become an independent discipline. They are already talking about eSports as a potential Olympic discipline. In the e-sports industry, Turkmenistan, like other CIS countries, has good chances to gain a foothold on the world stage and show decent results.

The statement that physical activity in eSports is minimal is not entirely true. To prove this, teachers from the Russian Federation are preparing a whole scientific base: they write dissertations and conduct unusual experiments. For example, special sensors attached to the body of a professional gamer during a competition record that while playing, his heart beats at the same frequency as that of a person running a kilometer.

Esports athletes are training in Ashgabat

The E-Sports Center as part of the Oguzkhan University of Engineering and Technology of Turkmenistan continues its successful and fruitful work towards the development of high-tech sports in the country.

Trainings, competitions, and matches with the participation of sports team leaders and athletes take place here in the virtual space. Students learn and train the sports and digital skills necessary for the next generation of sports - eSports. The emphasis is on the qualitative development of e-sports skills and abilities of participants, and the effectiveness of classes.

It is important to note that in 2008, the International eSports Federation (IeSF) was created in the Republic of Korea, which today unites 128 national eSports federations from around the world. In September 2020, the National Electronic Sports Federation of Turkmenistan (TMeSF) joined the IeSF, which became one of the significant steps in achieving the country’s goals for the development of e-sports.

The E-Sports Center at the Oguzkhan University of Engineering and Technology of Turkmenistan was created in 2023.

The center is connected to high-speed Internet, equipped with powerful computers, virtual reality (VR) devices and other necessary state-of-the-art advanced equipment in accordance with high international standards.

The main objectives of the center are the development of e-sports in Turkmenistan, the education of a young generation of e-sports athletes who are fluent in the modern digital space, the unification of talented students through various competitions, their preparation and participation in international competitions, the formation of national teams in various e-sports disciplines, the development of interest in e-sports and its popularization among Turkmen youth.

Currently, the E-Sports center hosts teams in Dota 2, Counter Strike 2, E-football, E-basketball and other disciplines. They participate in competitions at various levels and occupy leading positions in the rankings of the Asian region in Dota 2 and CS2.