Sport in Uzbekistan
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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, boxing, wrestling, and judo.
Football
Football is the most popular sport in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan's premier football league is the Uzbek League, which features 14 teams since 2010, before 16. The current champions are FC Bunyodkor, and the team with the most championships is FC Pakhtakor Tashkent with eight. The current Player of the Year (2011) is Odil Ahmedov. Uzbekistan regularly participates in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup. Nasaf won AFC Cup in 2011, which is the first international club cup for Uzbek football.
The Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium has a capacity of 35,000, and is mostly used for football matches.
Ice hockey
Uzbekistan used to be part of the Soviet Union national ice hockey team.
Basketball
Uzbekistan used to be part of the Soviet Union national basketball team.
Rugby union
Uzbekistan used to be part of the Soviet Union national rugby union team, but since its independence in 1991, Uzbekistan has created its own national team.
Handball
Handball is one of Uzbekistan's most popular sports, but nothing special has been achieved.
Olympics
Since its independence in 1991, Uzbekistan has taken part in the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics with increasing success. Uzbekistan has competed four times at the Summer Olympics, collecting one gold medal and five bronze medals in boxing, two gold medals and two silver medals in wrestling, and a silver medal in judo. Uzbekistan's only medal at the Winter Olympics was a gold medal in cross-country skiing in 1994.
Notable athletes
- Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, cyclist
- Artur Taymazov, wrestler
- Ruslan Chagaev, boxer
- Abdulaziz Mahkamov, sprinter
- Alexander Shatilov, gymnast
External links
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