Youth Affairs Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Chairman of the National Olympic Committee Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a meeting via a video conference call on the development of the Olympic and Paralympic movement, bringing adaptive and mass sports to a new level, as well as increasing physical activity of the population.

Every parent and every nation seeks to raise a physically and spiritually developed generation - goals that cannot be achieved without systematic physical education and sport. It is sport that is the backbone of a healthy nation and the foundation of a healthy generation.

In this regard, the state pays special attention to the development of the sports sphere. Over the past four years, the amount of funds allocated from the state budget for sports has increased from 1.5 trillion to 3 trillion soums, and the average salary of coaches has doubled. 101 large sports facilities have been built and 67 facilities have been reconstructed. The achievements of our athletes at the Olympics in Paris have become a vivid evidence of the effectiveness of the taken measures.

Now the goal is to be among the top ten teams at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. For this purpose, it is necessary to strengthen training and develop sports federations.

At the meeting these issues were considered in the context of 26 sports federations and regions.

At the last Olympic Games only 5 licenses were obtained in athletics, the program of which includes 48 disciplines, and in aquatics, where there are 49 disciplines - only 4 licenses. At the same time, athletes from Karakalpakstan, Jizzakh, Kashkadarya, Navoi, Namangan and Syrdarya regions showed poor results.

In this regard, a decision has been made to create a new system of searching and training talented youth in Olympic sports, stimulating athletes and coaching staff. The Head of State outlined a number of initiatives in this area.

First of all, regional branches of the Olympic Committee will be established to develop the Olympic and Paralympic movement and improve the selection system. Just as the President heads the National Olympic Committee, regional branches will be headed by regional khokims. Together with each sports federation, the regional branches will develop a strategy of preparation for the Olympic Games, and 300 billion soums will be allocated to create the necessary infrastructure and conditions.

In addition, it is planned to attract foreign best practices and grants, athletes and coaches will be trained in foreign sports academies, and sports will be distributed into three priority categories, based on the results of previous Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The need to turn 310 sports schools in the regions into a selection base for national teams, where new methods and approaches will be introduced, was emphasized. Also, 56 sports schools adapted for Olympic sports will become the main reserve, where young athletes selected at the regional level will be purposefully trained under individual programs.

In addition, twice a year, Olympic sports competitions will be held in the regions under the title “Olympic Peaks of New Uzbekistan”. Local and regional winners will be incentivized by khokims, and the winners of the regional stage will have the right to participate in the “Presidential Olympics” held in December in the Olympic City.

Winners of the competitions will be awarded valuable prizes - housing, cars and others, and athletes who took the first two places will be enrolled in the national Olympic and Paralympic centers; students of 1-2 years will be given a scholarship.

The President also emphasized that along with athletes and coaches of national teams that demonstrate high results, it is necessary to stimulate the first coaches who have raised athletes.

The meeting paid special attention to the development of Paralympic sports.

Earlier for young people with disabilities there were sports clubs in 33 schools, and today the number of such schools has reached 235. The number of people regularly involved in para-sports has quadrupled and exceeded 7 thousand people.

In cooperation with the Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen, scientific methods and standards for involving young people with disabilities in sports will be developed, and a separate faculty of adaptive sports will be established at the university's branch in Tashkent.

In addition, 39 sports schools in the regions will specialize in Paralympic sports. Conditions will be created for young people, especially girls with disabilities, to participate in regular sports sections. The system of issuing qualification certificates to coaches and their retraining will be simplified.

The procedure for forming national teams in Paralympic sports will also be changed: selection will be based not only on the results of competitions, but also on the fulfillment of sports standards. It is planned to create a special online platform to monitor the performance of athletes with disabilities.

An integrated system of both Olympic and Paralympic competitions will be used in organizing competitions and sporting events: where the championships are held, paralympic competitions will be organized at the same time. This will create a truly inclusive system that will become a source of confidence and support for athletes with disabilities.

It was also noted that there is a big opportunity for the private sector in the sports sector. In the future, a single register of private sports clubs will be maintained, criteria for their performance will be developed and free sports equipment will be provided to clubs depending on their coverage. Private coaches will be given the right to self-employment.

Youth from private clubs will be able to participate in competitions on their own behalf, which will enable selection of athletes for national teams on the basis of performance.

Instructions have been given for widespread adoption of digital technology in sourcing, selection and training of athletes to ensure fairness and identification of talented youth.

Special attention was paid to the development of mass sports and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

Last year, the coverage of young people at competitions reached 10 million people, but the participation of older people in sporting events remains low. In this regard, mass physical activity events will be held in the mahallas along with ranking, and by the end of the year the most active families will be provided with exercise equipment and sports grounds will be created in the best mahallas.

To attract students to sports, Olympic sports clubs for individual and team disciplines will be created in each school, and inter-school competitions will be organized. The best students will be selected and schools will be provided with the necessary sports equipment. Physical education teachers who demonstrate high results will receive additional incentives.

It was noted that there are over 700 thousand students in the country, which emphasizes the importance of increasing their interest in sports and expanding its coverage.

As for the formation of population's healthy lifestyle, it was emphasized that not only sports, but also proper nutrition are important. According to studies, 44 percent of the population does not lead an active lifestyle and 36 percent do not follow the rules of proper nutrition. The consumption of dairy and cereal products, as well as fruits and vegetables, is decreasing, while there is an increase in the consumption of fast food, which leads to various diseases and premature death.

In this regard, the idea “Healthy Person - Healthy Nation” should become a nationwide movement, and the principles of proper nutrition and physical activity should become an integral part of every family's life.

The meeting included a dialogue with the responsible persons of the sphere, khokims and sportsmen.