(1 May 2013) SHOTLIST
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April 28, 2013
1. Wide pan of horse race, riders crossing finishing line, President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov falling off his horse
2. Wide of men in black running towards fallen rider
3. Wide of ambulance arriving, spectators clapping
3. Mid shot of President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov greeting the crowd, receiving applause
4. Wide of President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov patting horse, onlookers watching
April 27, 2013
5. Wide of Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov (with green coat) standing next to horse, patting it
STORYLINE:
The President of Turkmenistan fell off his horse just after he crossed the finish line in a race on the outskirts of the capital Ashgabat on Sunday.
The sight of Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov falling from the galloping horse would have been a shock to the people of Turkmenistan - if they had been allowed to see it.
State television cut the broadcast just before the fall and print media's extensive reports on the race didn't mention the incident.
Apparently, Berdymukhamedov wasn't seriously injured, although the fall may have dented the pride of a leader whose cult of personality portrays him as effortlessly competent.
Video obtained by The Associated Press shows a rider falling as his horse stumbles just metres after crossing the finish line in first place.
State media reported that Berdymukhamedov won the race.
The horse recovered quickly after the stumble, but Berdymukhamedov lay motionless.
Within a few seconds, however, several dozen men in dark suits and one in traditional dress rushed onto the track, with an ambulance arriving soon after.
The person who shot the video, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of negative repercussions, said the 55-year-old president reappeared about half an hour later to accept the winner's prize.
The video is consistent with independent AP reporting.
The race was part of a celebration of Turkmenistan's renowned desert racehorse breed, the Akhal-Teke.
All domestic broadcasting in Turkmenistan is state-run and media criticism of the president is non-existent.
Turkmenistan's security agencies reportedly tried to block video or pictures of the fall getting out to the rest of the world.
The opposition-in-exile group Gundogan cited witnesses as saying police were checking the computers, tablets, cellular phones and cameras of departing passengers at Ashgabat's airport.
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