Uzbekistan’s Olympic leap: celebrating Independence Day with new sporting heights

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Ahead of Uzbekistan’s Independence Day celebrations on 1 September, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the soon-to-open Olympic village, the largest sports complex in the country in a fitting acknowledgment of what has been a breakthrough year for Uzbekistan in international sports.

From qualifying for the first time in the FIFA World Cup to winning a gold in the Winter Special Olympics in Turin, Uzbekistan athletes this year suddenly found themselves competing alongside the world’s best.

Uzbekistan’s Olympic ambition

The US$290-million Olympic village, scheduled to open officially on Independence Day, took just three years to complete. The site features five large sports facilities over 100 hectares, including a 2,200-seat velodrome, 12,000-seat stadium, an Aquatics Palace, as well as separate arenas for team sports and martial arts.

As part of the project’s commitment to inclusion and health, the village will also be home to an accessible dormitory for 400 Paralympian athletes and a Sports Medicine Center.

The new complex will allow Uzbekistan to host the World and Asian Championships, as well as Paralympic tournaments for the first time. As well as providing a platform for international competitions, the Olympic facilities will be used as a training site for national teams, dual education and mass sports programmes.

President Mirziyoyev stated that the development is intended to be “a symbol of the creative potential of the people and the achievements of national sports.” Mirziyoyev also stressed ambitions to develop table tennis in schools and communities, as well as to create new opportunities for cycling across the regions.

Energy efficiency and innovation

All buildings of the Olympic complex are designed with energy efficiency in mind. Solar panels will be installed in the parking lots, and modern climate systems will be introduced in the sports facilities, which provide a stable temperature and lighting suitable for both athletes and TV broadcasts.

The completion of the Olympic village is part of a broad programme of transformations that have been taking place in Uzbekistan over the past seven years since Mirziyoyev entered office.

© Agency of Information and Mass Communications of Uzbekistan

Economic growth and social reform

In line with the nation’s sporting programme, Uzbekistan’s economy is also showing steady growth: according to World Bank forecasts, GDP will increase by 6.5% in 2025 and, in a public statement this week, President Mirziyoyev cited an International Monetary Fund forecast of growth this year to US$130 billion.

Alongside projections, social reform is being carried out and the pensions, benefits and salaries of public sector employees have increased. Through the “Initiative Budget” project, citizens have the opportunity to directly determine priorities for funding in their local communities. More than 13 thousand initiatives have already been implemented, for which more than 11 trillion soums (€750 million) has been allocated.

Infrastructure development continues beyond sports, with the government also announcing plans to build a second international airport in Tashkent, aimed at increasing the country's transit potential and making the capital more accessible to global passenger traffic.

As part of developments, authorities are also prioritising ecological restoration, through initiatives such as the Yashil Makon programme which covers large-scale landscaping across the country, including planting on the dried-up bed of the Aral Sea to reduce the spread of dust and salt in the region.

Sport and independence

Sport has become one of the symbols of independent Uzbekistan. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the country’s athletes won 13 medals, including eight gold, marking the country's most successful Olympic performance to date, with major successes in boxing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling. The nation also experienced boxing victory on home soil at the IMMAF World Championships in 2024.

President Mirziyoyev called these results “a worthy gift to the people for Independence Day.” Successes have confirmed that Uzbekistan is reaching a new level in the development of sports.

Over the past year, the following successes have been chalked up:

1. Football — First-ever FIFA World Cup Qualification

Uzbekistan secured their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup (2026), following a goalless draw against the United Arab Emirates on 5 June 2025, ensuring a top-two finish in AFC Group A.

2. Rhythmic Gymnastics — Takhmina Ikromova

Takhmina Ikromova won the 2025 Asian Rhythmic Gymnastics All-Around title, her third consecutive continental AA championship, in Singapore in mid‑May. She also received medals at World Cup competitions in Sofia and Tashkent in April 2025.

3. Athletics — Sharifa Davronova and the U-18 Team

Sharifa Davronova won gold in the women’s triple jump at the 2025 World University (Universiade) Games with a personal best of 14.33 metres, marking Uzbekistan’s best-ever Universiade athletics result; the Uzbekistan team claimed a total 15 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, 7 bronze).

The Uzbekistan U‑18 team achieved second place overall at the 2025 Asian U‑18 Athletics Championships in Dammam, Saudi Arabia (15–18 April), with a tally of 12 medals (3 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze).

4. Rowing — Shakhzod Nurmatov

Shakhzod Nurmatov earned Uzbekistan’s first-ever World Rowing Cup medal, taking bronze in the Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls (LM1x) event at Lucerne in June 2025.

5. Special Olympics — Sitora Ergasheva

Figure skater Sitora Ergasheva brought home a gold medal for Uzbekistan at the Special Olympics World Winter Games 2025 (Turin), marking the country’s first-ever gold at that event.

The opening of the new Olympic village is set to consolidate these achievements, making Tashkent not only a platform for major tournaments but also an inclusive place for the next generation of athletes to develop.

Uzbekistan’s 34th Independence Day is celebrated with concrete results. The Olympic village, social reforms, environmental initiatives and new infrastructure projects have become part of President Mirziyoyev’s program to create a “New Uzbekistan” – a state with a modern economy, developed society and active international engagement.

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