The Inaugural United Nations New York-based Missions Games came to a triumphant end today with a grand closing ceremony held at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Games, organized by the Permanent Mission of Turkmenistan to the UN, were held within the framework of the UN General Assembly Sustainable Development Week, and were dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi. The Games were co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Australia, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar and El Salvador.
The month-long event saw over 300 athletes from 85 countries and 18 organizations, representing diplomatic and consular missions, the UN Secretariat, and specialized agencies based in New York, compete in eight different sports: football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, pickleball, running, chess, and yoga.
The Games aimed to foster unity, trust, and physical well-being among Permanent Missions and UN agencies in New York, promoting the values of sportsmanship, camaraderie, and healthy competition.
The closing ceremony brought together the Games participants, winners, organizers, and distinguished guests. Speaking at the ceremony, Permanent Representative of Turkmenistan to the UN, Ambassador Aksoltan Ataeva, highlighted the significance of the Games initiated by Turkmenistan in promoting constructive sports diplomacy in the current international environment.
The Ambassador emphasized that one of the priority areas of Turkmenistan’s peace-loving foreign policy is the implementation of the global agenda “Sport for Peace and Development,” and the Games served as a testament to the power of sports diplomacy to unite countries and peoples, regardless of their political views and cultural differences.
During the closing ceremony, winners in various disciplines were awarded trophies and valuable gifts. Heads of diplomatic missions and UN agencies expressed their gratitude to Turkmenistan for the initiative and organization of the sporting events, as well as underlined their support in holding the next Diplomatic Games of Friendship of the United Nations in 2025.
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Winners of the Inaugural United Nations New York-based Missions Games (Diplomatic Games – 2024):
Pickleball
- 1st Place: “Tim Tams” – Alexandra Jones and Kelvin Jones (Australia)
- 2nd Place: “Tall and Small” – Duyen Lovell and Sean Lovell (UNHQ)
Basketball
- 1st Place: Central America/France team
- 2nd Place: Russian Federation
Yoga
- 1st Place: Sneha Dubey, Assel Syrymbet, Ha Nguyen
- 2nd Place: Ruby Kumar, Nodira Akhmedova, Mahri Eyeberdiyeva
- 3rd Place: Julie Grandperrin, Lorea Salterain, Nathalie Delorme
Chess
- 1st Place: Kyaw Thit (UNHQ)
- 2nd Place: Murat Sazanov, Mukesh Kumar
Volleyball
- 1st Place: Russian Federation
- 2nd Place: Pacific Warriors
Tennis
- 1st Place: Talal Abdulaziz M H Al-naama (Qatar)
- 2nd Place: Hojamyrat Eyeberdiyev (Turkmenistan)
Junior Tennis
- 1st Place: Milana Yarashuk (UN-OHRLLS)
- 2nd Place: Kerim Eyeberdiyev (Turkmenistan)
Running
Ladies
- 1st Place: Karla Tejeda
- 2nd Place: Martina Müller
- 3rd Place: Assel Syrymbet
Men
- 1st Place: Guillermo Caballero
- 2nd Place: Aziz Muzdybayev
- 3rd Place: Laurin Borzym
Football
- 1st Place: Mexico
- 2nd Place: Israel