Sports in Uzbekistan

Sports in Uzbekistan
Many new states provided stadiums, sports, complexes, pools, sports clubs as well as private fitness clubs cater to a great demand for physical exercise. "Sportsman" is a widely used term. Uzbekistan has produced Olympic champions in kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, gymnastics, chess, who brought home medals from Atlanta, Sydney, and Lillehammer.Dilshod Aripov - world champion wrestling Mahamadkodir Abdullaev, Sergey Mikhailov, Rustam Saidov, Ruslan Chagaev, Artur Grigoryan Olympic and World champions in boxing Iroda Tuliaganova - WTA tennis champion Oksana Chusovitina - world champion gymnastics. Over the centuries, Uzbekistan has had a tradition of fostering equestrians and wrestlers (palvans). Some of the sports that originate in this country are the kurash, a type of upright wrestling, along with belbogli kurash, turon. Other popular sports in Uzbekistan are football (soccer), boxing and sport wrestling. Since its independence in 1991, Uzbekistan has taken part in the Olympic Games with increasing success. Uzbekistan has participated three times in the Summer Olympics, and collected a gold and five bronze medals in boxing, two gold and two silver in wrestling and a silver medal in judo. Their only medal in the Winter Olympics so far came in freestyle skiing in Lillehammer 1994 when Lina Cheryazova won a gold medal in aerials. Some of the most important Uzbekistan sports include Football, Boxing, Rugby and Uloq. The Uzbekistan football team is managed by the Uzbekistan football federation. AFC is the confederation of Uzbekistan football team. Having participated in numerous competitions, it proved its strength in the Asian Games in 1994, having won the victory title. It is considered to be the strongest team among the Central Asian nations like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.Horse sport competition “kopkari” or “uloq” is equally close to all Turk speaking nations of the region such as Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Turkmen. Kopkari is the competition of horsemen. It is usually held in honour of big holidays or weddings at the end of the feast.Kopkari is struggle, that is lead by a skilled horseman to win the race with certain conditions. Usually in the kopkari competition the referee throws to the middle of the pitch carcass of the goat filled with salt which is called uloq. This carcass is pressed by horseman’s leg to saddle. Horseman should race through his rivals in the pitch and be first to bring the carcass to the appointed spot. Horsemen can compete in groups and divide the prize among each other. The prizes can be a TV, a carpet, national overcoat, a cattle or some amount of money. The most nimble dzhigit (skilled horseman) on a strong and swift-footed horse picks up the thrown goat. As a rule he is surrounded by friends or fellow-villagers to protect and assist him from the competitors till the finish line. Horsemen handed down the secrets of correct feeding and training of fast horses across the generations. During the World War II some horses trained for racing in kopkari made incredible deeds. However, kopkari is a peaceful game which has played a significant role in the education and formation of strong men. At present it is still organized in several districts of Kashkadarya, Surkhandarya, Samarkand and Bukhara regions. It has become a good tradition to organize the kopkari on the conventions of farmers, gardeners, cotton growers, Navruz holiday as well as in harvest festivals. The traditions of old horsemen and runners is being restored again. This is very important that one of the ancient interesting game traditions is revived and is experiencing a new stage of its developmentOver the centuries, Uzbekistan has had a tradition of fostering equestrians and wrestlers (palvans). Some of the sports that originate in this country are the kurash, a type of upright wrestling, along with belbogli kurash, turon, and boyqurgan. Other popular sports in Uzbekistan are football (soccer), boxing and sport wrestling.Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors. Sport is commonly defined as an organized, competitive and skillful physical activity requiringcommitment and fair play. Some view sports as differing from games based on the fact that there are usually higher levels of organization and profit (not always monetary) involved in sports. Accurate records are kept and updated for most sports at the highest levels, while failures and accomplishments are widely announced in sport news.The term sports is sometimes extended to encompass all competitive activities in which offense and defense are played, regardless of the level of physical activity. Both games of skill and motor sport exhibit many of the characteristics of physical sports, such as skill, sportsmanship, and at the highest levels, even professional sponsorship associated with physical sports.Sports that are subjectively judged are distinct from other judged activities such as beauty pageants and bodybuilding shows, because in the former the activity performed is the primary focus of evaluation, rather than the physical attributes of the contestantas in the latter (although "presentation" or "presence" may also be judged in both activities).Sports are most often played just for fun or for the simple fact that people need exercise to stay in good physical condition.Although they do not always succeed, sports participants are expected to display good sportsmanship, standards of conduct such as being respectful of opponents and officials, and congratulating the winner when losing.Since its independence in 1991, Uzbekistan has taken part in the Olympic Games with increasing success. Uzbekistan has participated three times in the Summer Olympics, and collected a gold and five bronze medals in boxing, two gold and two silver in wrestling and a silver medal in judo. Their only medal in the Winter Olympics so far came in freestyle skiing in Lillehammer 1994 when Lina Cheryazova won a gold medal in aerials.Some of the most important Uzbekistan sports include Football, Boxing, Rugby and Buzkashi. The Uzbekistan football team is managed by the Uzbekistan football federation. AFC is the confederation of Uzbekistan football team. Having participated in numerous competitions, it proved its strength in the Asian Games in 1994, having won the victory title. It is considered to be the strongest team among the Central Asian nations like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.
The Uzbekistan Boxing federation is a part of the the Athletic Associations or Organizations, National Federations, which is situated in Tashkent. It has the affiliation of the Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee and is an active member of the International Amateur Boxing Federation in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The sports of Buzkashi is referred to as Kok-boru or Ulak Tartysh in Uzbekistan. It is also popular as Oglak Tartis. It is a traditional game of the country, which is played on horse back. This Uzbekistan sports needs a team coordination, where the members of a particular team are required to pick the carcass of a dead goat or calf before any other team, while riding a galloping horse. The carcass then has to be delivered to a vat or a goal post. This sports is also popular almost in the whole of Central Asia, especially Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. In in Afghanistan it is popularly known as Buzkashi.
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Football in Uzbekistan holds a place of importance, as this is one of the sports that represent the country at the international level. The National Football Team of Uzbekistan is governed by the Uzbekistan Football Federation. This federation was founded in the year 1946 and it was affiliated in 1992.
The National Football Team of Uzbekistan
Initially, the Uzbekistan Football Team was a part of the team of Soviet Union. Later, the team evolved as a separate team, representing the country. The National Football Team of Uzbekistan played its first match in 1992 against Tajikistan. Through years of consistent performance, this team has curved out a place of importance for itself.
Performance of the National Football Team of Uzbekistan
The first big victory was tasted by this team in the Asian Games of 1994. After that, this team has participated in a number of prestigious tournaments. It was in 1996 that this team made the country proud by qualifying into the World Cup Games. This year, the National Football Team of Uzbekistan qualified till the first round. This was followed by its participation in the World Cup again in 2000, 2004 and 2007. During the World Cups of 2000 and 2007, this team qualified till the Quarterfinals. Hence, the National Football Team of Uzbekistan can be given the status of being one of the top eight Asian national teams.
The top international players such as Vladimir Maminov and Maxim Shatskikh have added to the significance of Football in Uzbekistan and have taken the game to new heights.
Rugby in Uzbekistan
Rugby in Uzbekistan is highly popular. The performance of Uzbekistan in Rugby is satisfactory. The Uzbekistan Rugby Team has participated in a number of world championship events and has made their mark in the international map of Rugby. The game of rugby in Uzbekistan is governed by Uzbekistan National Rugby Union. The performance of the national stars is making Rugby in Uzbekistan more and more popular.
The country first began playing rugby in the late 1960s. But initially it did not attract the people much. The rugby lovers founded the rugby federation was formed in 2001. The federation tried various methods to steal the spotlight from other popular games in Uzbekistan. They arranged an international tournament for the first ever women’s rugby team. The team was known as the “Sogdiana”.
Over the centuries, Uzbekistan has had a tradition of fostering equestrians and wrestlers (palvins). Some of the sports that originate in the country are the kurash, which is a type of upright wrestling. Other types of wrestling are belbogli kurash, turon, and boyqurgan all having the same origins. Other popular sports in Uzbekistan are football, basketball, boxing, wrestling, and judo.
Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent will host the 2025 Asian Youth Games.^[1]