President orders early identification of disability categories for para-athletes

In Uzbekistan, early identification of disability categories is required when training para-athletes. This was announced today, February 13, during a videoconference meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who also serves as Chairman of the National Olympic Committee.  

The President instructed officials to approve the National Classification Rules within two months, based on the requirements of the “International Paralympic Committee Classification Code.”  

The Ministry of Health was tasked with assigning medical specialists to classify para-athletes and provide them with necessary medical care.  

In recent years, the private sector has entered the sports industry. However, Olympic sports competitions are still exclusively held among state sports schools, effectively excluding private clubs. Currently, private clubs are only allowed to participate in non-Olympic sports competitions.  

Although substantial funding is allocated to state sports schools, only 20 percent of national team members come from these institutions.  

To address this, it was decided to maintain a unified register of private sports clubs and create standards and criteria for their activities. Depending on the level of youth engagement, clubs will receive free sports equipment. Additionally, private trainers will be granted self-employment rights.  

Young athletes in private clubs will be allowed to participate in all competitions under their own names. They will also be eligible for national team selection based on their performance.  

Furthermore, projects will be launched to transition five underutilized sports schools in Tashkent and one in the regions to private partnerships.  

Earlier, it was reported that the Presidential Olympics would now be held twice a year.