Sport in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan pays great attention to the development and promotion of sports and physical culture. Over the years of independence the country has established an effective system of training of professional athletes, coaches and referees. Integrated and targeted measures to support the sport in the country have yielded positive results. During the years of Independence sports delegation of Uzbekistan took part in 5 Olympic and 9 Asian Games, where athletes of Uzbekistan adequately protected sporting honor their homeland. Uzbek team won at the Olympic Games 6 gold, 5 silver and 10 bronze medals, world championships, Asian and other international tournaments more than 860 medals, including 311 gold, 274 silver and 276 bronze. For last years in the Republic the separate kinds of sport which material base is modernized in view of the requirements accepted in the World are developing in accelerated rates. In this line the base of the Uzbek football where participation of 36 teams is recorded which is very indicative. At their order 231 stadium, 5231 football floor, and also numerous platforms for game in mini-football. Asian refereeing icon Ravshan Irmatov from Uzbekistan was named Best Referee of the Year at the recent Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, the UAE. Uzbekistan periodically becomes a place of carrying out of such prestigious competitions and tournaments, as the Championship of Asia on boxing, the Championship of Asia and Ocenia on Taekvondo, the international tournaments on free-style wrestling, weightlifting, muaythai and etc. Today, national Uzbek sports achieved a great popularity not only in Uzbekistan, but also all over the world. For many centuries Uzbek nation has been famous for its strongest palvans( wrestlers) and legendary equestrians, which contributed to create national types of sports in Uzbekistan, such as Kurash, Belbogli-kurash, Turon, and Boyqurgan which received international status and being included to Asian Games.
Today Uzbekistan sport has become an integral part of education. Uzbekistan is considered to be a country with a young population- more than 40 percent of the population is young people aged up to 18 years. Therefore, attention to children’ s sport and healthy lifestyles of young people identified as one of the priorities of the state policy. In order to fully support children and youth sports by the initiative of the President since 2002 operating in Uzbekistan Children’ s Sports Development Fund, providing comprehensive promotion of all types of sports among children. 1113 modern children’ s sports facilities, including 252 sports complexes, 861 gyms and 110 swimming pools were recently created in the country. Currently more than 1 million 800 thousand children on a regular basis are engaged in 30 types of sports. Particular importance attaches to attract an early age to the sport for girls and youth in rural areas. The development of children’ s sport in Uzbekistan gives appropriate results. In particular, in 2010, the national football team U-16 won the silver medal of the Asian Championship, and in 2011 they entered the top eight teams in the world championship U-17 in Mexico. In 2012, Uzbekistan’ s football team U-16 has achieved brilliant success when they gained a victory at the Asian championship. Along with this, in the Republic, a three-tier system of sports, which includes « Umid Nihollari », « Barkamol avlod » and « Universiade ». In fact, the system is a national model of effective selection and training of elite athletes.
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