SPORT | 15:58 / 28.08.2024
1030
9 min read

Olympic champions presented awards (photos)

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with the prize-winners of the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games on August 28.

Photo: Presidential press service

Heads of the National Olympic Committee and sports federations, coaches, parents of athletes, representatives of state and public organizations also took part in the event.

It is known that these Olympic Games were held in Paris, the capital of France, from July 26 to August 11. About 11 thousand strongest athletes from more than 200 countries took part in it. Uzbekistan participated with 90 athletes on 19 sports. This prestigious competition was literally full of records and unparalleled achievements for Uzbekistan.

The head of state congratulated the athletes on this huge historic victory and made a speech.

- The fact that you won 8 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze medals by showing great courage in extremely intense competitions is a bright result that expresses the high development potential of our country. This historic victory once again demonstrated in practice what great things the youth of New Uzbekistan are capable of. Our country took the 13th place overall among the participating countries, the 4th place on the Asian continent, the 1st place among the Turkic and Islamic countries and the Commonwealth of Independent States. These results, which pleased all of us, are unprecedented achievements in the history of Uzbekistan, - said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

All conditions were created for athletes and coaches for this. The approach to the training of athletes has been changed, research and attention have increased. At such a meeting held in August 2021, the goal was to become one of the top fifteen countries in the next Olympics. This was accomplished with honor, and our country took 13th place in the world.

According to the British edition of the Financial Times, Olympic medals, achievements of the country in the world of sports indicate the level of general development and human development of the country.

Indeed, the place, meaning and significance of every result in the Olympic Games is incomparable. Because the best of the best take part in this major international competition held once in four years, it shows the country's attention to the sports field and the physical and spiritual potential of the people.

Diyora Keldiyorova won the first gold medal in the competition. This went down in history as the first gold medal of our country at the Olympics, both in judo and among women.

Another brave girl – Svetlana Osipova won the first silver medal in taekwondo and opened a new page in the history of women’s sports.

Uzbekistan won 2 medals in Taekwondo for the first time at the Olympic Games. Our national team recorded the best result in its history and took the 3rd place in the overall team standings. Ulugbek Rashitov became the two-time Olympic champion in taekwondo in the youngest category in the annals of the Olympic movement.

Uzbekistan received the most medals in judo in its history at the Olympics. After a 12-year hiatus in freestyle wrestling, a gold medal was won again.

The national boxing team broke the record of the Olympic Games in the history of the country in terms of the number of gold medals and took the 1st place overall. Boxers from Uzbekistan won five of the seven gold medals among men.

In general, in the heart of Europe, Uzbekistan’s national anthem was played 8 times and the flag of the country was raised 13 times in honor of the athletes.

The President emphasized that these high results made our nation very proud and applauded the athletes:

- These days, our entire nation is living with the spirit and joy of the Independence Day. Bright victories achieved by you were a worthy gift for our greatest and most precious holiday. Your heroism has given strength to our youth, sports-loving children in remote areas. You made our nation proud and united even more. Honor to you, thank you!

The head of state thanked the athletes, their teachers and coaches, members of the sports delegation. He wished strength and luck to our brave athletes participating in the Paralympic Games these days.

At the meeting, special attention was paid to the issues of preparation for the Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles in 2028.

Federations for water sports, athletics, cycling, shooting and archery, and gymnastics indicated that there were conditions and talented athletes, but few results. Team sports such as field hockey, basketball, handball, rugby, water polo are not developed enough. There are many untapped opportunities in sports such as Greco-Roman wrestling, equestrian sports, modern pentathlon, triathlon, fencing, rowing, and cycling.

It was noted that these sports federations should make appropriate conclusions and make great preparations before the next Olympics.

As mentioned, major programs for the training of athletes will be adopted in the next four years. Qualified foreign specialists in sports medicine, pharmacology, dietology, psychology and engineering will be involved in each direction.

In this regard, a separate system for conducting competitions and trainings based on advanced foreign experiences will be created in the Olympic town. Specialized sports institutions, such as Bakhodir Jalolov, Oksana Chusovitina schools, will be organized in each region, for each sport.

In addition, a special program will be introduced to discover new talents in localities, especially in neighborhoods, and to prepare them for international competitions based on targeted selection.

Local and foreign coaches will be attached to 15 Olympic and Paralympic training centers with the necessary sports infrastructure, 6 Republican schools of higher sports skills, and 56 specialized sports schools.

The head of state emphasized that the development of mass sports should be an integral part of the national Olympic movement. The government was tasked with developing proposals in this regard.

According to the decree of the President of Uzbekistan on August 23 of this year, a group of athletes and coaches who achieved high results at the XXXIII Summer Olympic Games held in Paris were awarded honorary titles and orders.

These high awards were solemnly presented at the event.

Athletes and coaches, parents delivered speeches and thanked the head of our country for the high respect and attention.

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