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Sport

Uzbek Boxer Asadullaev Wins Title, Then Disqualified for Biting

The Asian Boxing Confederation has stripped Uzbek boxer Khavasbek Asadullaev of his winner’s title at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships, ruling that he bit his Kazakh opponent during the light middleweight (71kg) final bout in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Kazakh boxer Ablaikhan Zhussupov has been declared the champion following the disqualification of Asadullaev, the confederation said in a statement. It said the ruling came after a protest from the Kazakh Boxing Federation over the foul, which was overlooked by the referee during the fight on Wednesday. After the ruling, the Kazakh federation noted on Telegram that Serbian referee Jovana Ugrenovic had not issued any warning to Asadullaev about the violation when it occurred, and that it had photo and video evidence of the foul. The federation said Asadullaev was “suspended from competitions for a certain period.” Some media reports said Asadullaev bit Zhussupov on the shoulder. Video of the fight shows Asadullaev being declared the winner after a split decision, embracing his opponent and skipping across the ring in triumph.

Spanish Soccer Coach to Work in Tajikistan

The Tajik Football Federation (TFF) has signed a contract with Spanish coach Claudio Garcia Lara, who has experience working in soccer academies in Spain, England, China, and India. The agreement was made as part of a joint project between the Football Federation of Tajikistan and FIFA's "FIFA Talent Development Scheme" within the "FIFA Talent Coaching" program. UEFA Pro license holder Garcia Lara will work in Tajikistan for two years. He is now coaching the U-14 team, preparing it for tournaments under the auspices of the Asian Football Confederation and the Central Asian Football Association. According to Uvaido Davlatbekov, technical director of the Tajik Football Federation, 27 players from different regions were invited to the U-14 team. The young players train, study, and live at the Istiklol Football Academy in the Almosi settlement of Gissar. The “FIFA Talent Coach” program is designed to occur over two years. The Spanish specialist works with Tajik coaches, and the program's goals are to identify and develop talents and attract the best specialists to work with gifted players. "The project also includes activities to find talented players nationwide and coaching seminars,” Davlatbekov explained. The Tajikistan Football Federation is actively implementing FIFA's Talent Development Scheme, a program to identify and develop young talent. In 2023, following FIFA's recommendations, a technical development program was created, extending until 2026. This program includes identifying players aged 12 to 16 and conducting seminars for youth and women's soccer coaches. The selected players form the core of the Tajikistan U-16 national youth team, which has won CAFA tournaments for two consecutive years.

Rybakina Sport

Rybakina’s 2024 Season Ends with Win over World No. 1

Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina has ended her 2024 season on a high note, beating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the WTA finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, even though she wasn’t able to advance to the semifinals of the yearend event. Moscow-born Rybakina, who is ranked fifth in the world, defeated the Belarusian star 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the elite tournament’s Purple Group on Wednesday after losing her first two matches to Jasmine Paolini of Italy and Zheng Qinwen of China. "I think today I served really well, and especially in the third set," Rybakina said, according to the WTA. It was her second win over Sabalenka this season. "But of course, overall, I know that I'm not at my best, and if I would have maybe more weeks and some other matches, but with all the circumstances, I'm really happy overall how I played this this tournament," said Rybakina, who struggled with physical issues in the second half of the season after a strong start. This year, Rybakina also split with coach Stefano Vukov, with whom she had considerable success, including the 2022 Wimbledon title, despite concerns among commentators about his intense, critical style. Next year, she plans to work with Goran Ivanisevic, the former coach of Novak Djokovic. "I'm really looking forward to this partnership," Rybakina said. "I think he's a great champion and he has so much experience.”

Sport

Uzbekistan’s Cricket Team: We’re Ready For International Matches

Supporters of Uzbek sport have had a lot to celebrate this year. The national football team currently sits at the top of its qualifying group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while eight of the country's athletes took gold at this summer's Paris Olympics. But next year Uzbekistan wants to enter the world stage in a more surprising sport: cricket. The Central Asian country joined the game's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), in 2022. As an “Associate” ICC member there are hopes that the Uzbek squad will play its first international matches in 2025, in the Twenty20 (T20) version of the game. T20 games are much shorter than traditional five-day Test matches. The nation's rapid progress is due to Aziz Mihliev, the owner of Tashkent pharmaceutical company Anfa. Mihliev fell in love with the game while living in India, where cricket is the national sport. As the founder and chairman of the O’zbekiston Kriket Federatsiyasi (Uzbekistan Cricket Federation), Mihliev has created the Anfa Cricket Academy in the capital's Yunusobod district, where three practice pitches cover a school playground. The federation invites students at Tashkent’s sports colleges to the academy to try their hand at cricket. Many of the players picked to wear the red and dark blue striped jerseys of the new Anfa Cricket Club are also talented tennis players. Mihliev has also built a cricket ground outside the capital, towards the town of Chirchiq, where a game between Salar Stars and Ferghana Rangers will be played this Sunday. There are plans to turn an abandoned Soviet-era stadium outside Samarkand into Uzbek cricket's second home. Travelling to represent Uzbekistan at global ICC conferences, Mihliev speaks with the ambition of a man who now rubs shoulders with the most influential people in the sport. From one such trip he writes: "My ambition is to see an Uzbekistan national team play a Test match against the England team. And win, of course!" Over 4,000 Uzbeks now play the game regularly at schools and universities, from Tashkent in the north of the country to the southern Surkhandaryo region. Surkhandaryo borders Afghanistan, a passionate cricketing nation that reached the semi-finals of this year's men’s T20 World Cup. And it was to Afghanistan that Mihliev turned when recruiting a former international player to train his national team. Khaliq Dad Noori played a few games for Afghanistan at the beginning of the 2010s, when his own country was at the start of its journey to the top of world cricket. Noori coaches his players in the Pashto language, which his Uzbek students can understand. But cricket in Uzbekistan still has a local flavour. Hitting techniques come straight from games of chilla, an old pastime played with sticks. Bats are known as tuqmoq – the name of a wooden club that Uzbek warriors used to brandish. Although some of Uzbekistan’s best cricketers have only been playing for a year or two, judging by the talent on show during a practice session they would beat most...

Architecture Hospitality Cultural Heritage Tourism Sport Nature Traditions

Uzbekistan Travel Tips from Professional Guide Eleonora Radjabova

Uzbekistan is increasingly attracting tourists from all over the world, eager to experience its rich cultural heritage, unique architecture and spectacular landscape. Eleonora Radjabova, a professional guide in Uzbekistan since 2007, spoke to TCA about her own favorite locations and provided tips on how to make the most of your trip to her country. [caption id="attachment_22627" align="aligncenter" width="720"] photo: elya.uz.guide - Eleonora Radjabova[/caption] TCA: What are your personal favorite places and activities in Uzbekistan? My favorite places and activities in Uzbekistan highlight the diversity and richness of the natural environment and cultural experiences my country has to offer. I especially love Bukhara for its ancient historical heritage and architectural masterpieces. Walking through the narrow streets and markets of this medieval city is a unique and immersive experience filled with dazzling, iconic monuments at every turn. [caption id="attachment_22628" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] photo: TCA -Bukhara[/caption] For those wishing a flavor of Uzbekistan’s landscape, I recommend Chimgan and Amirsoy, both within easy reach of Tashkent. Chimgan, set in the Ugam Chatkal National Park and 85 kilometers from the city, is perfect for an active vacation. Sometimes known as ‘Uzbek Switzerland’ with mountains rising to 3309m above sea level, Chimgan has facilities for various extreme sports. In winter, it operates as a ski-resort whilst in summer, paragliding provides an exhilarating experience and breath-taking views of the terrain from high in the air. Apart from being ideal for day-trippers, the resort which specializes in eco-tourism, offers a wide range of accommodation for longer stays. [caption id="attachment_22630" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] photo: skipedia.ru -Chimgan[/caption] Amirsoy, just 65 kilometers from Tashkent, offers an easily accessible respite from city life. Flanked by the Chaktal Ridge and Tian Shan mountains, its beautiful rolling landscape offers numerous trails for hiking and walking, alongside spas and pools. [caption id="attachment_22634" align="aligncenter" width="497"] photo: Uzbek Travel -Amirsoy[/caption] Lake Aidarkul, a unique oasis of sorts in the Kyzylkum Desert, is another of my favorite places to relax and enjoy outdoor recreation. It is especially beautiful in August when people come to its shores to enjoy the sunset then gaze at the starry sky. A natural wilderness and home to rare species of birds as well as pelicans, herons, geese and black storks, the area is a mecca for birdwatchers. Visitors can also experience a unique taste of nomadic life by embarking on a trip through the desert on camels – “ships of the desert"- to spend a night in a yurt. [caption id="attachment_22631" align="aligncenter" width="900"] photo:adantour.com -Lake Aidarkul[/caption] TCA: Why are these places and activities especially dear to you? These places and activities recharge my vigor, positively influence my mood, and I return to the city, to my work, with new ideas and impressions. TCA: What tips can you offer tourists to get the most out of their visit? It’s all about forward planning! I recommend determining in advance, aspects of the country which interest you most -historical monuments, culture, nature, cuisine -to help pick a tour tailored to your preferences. Make...

Sport

Putintseva Breaches Tennis Etiquette in U.S. Open Loss

Kazakh tennis player Yulia Putintseva once said: "I'm like a gangster on court, but like an angel off court." The comment, reported by the Women’s Tennis Association in 2022, was emblematic of Putintseva’s fiery on-court demeanor, which has propelled her to some big wins over the years. But take out frustrations on a member of the ball crew, as Putintseva appeared to do at this year’s U.S. Open? That’s taboo in tennis circles, and players cross the line at their peril when social media is the judge. Moscow-born Putintseva, 29, has been the target of withering online criticism since her dismissive treatment of a ballgirl during a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Jasmine Paolini of Italy in Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York on Saturday. Video of the incident shows the world No. 32 standing virtually immobile as the ball crewmember, her hands aloft as her training dictates, bounces one ball and then another toward the player. Putintseva lets the balls bounce off her, suggesting indifference or even disdain. Putintseva nonchalantly catches a third ball before walking off to resume play. Some in the crowd start to boo and whistle while watching the uncomfortable encounter. “Who does Putintseva think she is … Terrible behaviour towards the ball girl !!!” Boris Becker, who won six Grand Slam singles titles, said on X. “Shame on her!!! Humiliation of a ball kid is the last thing you do on a tennis court,” said retired Spanish player Feliciano López (who once accidentally clocked a ball boy in a sensitive area with one of his big serves). Putintseva issued an apology on social media to the ball crewmember, saying “it was not about her” and that she was upset with herself for failing to win the previous game during the match, according to Sports Illustrated and other media. Some online pundits panned the apology, saying it should be made in person. It was a fraught exit from the last Slam of the year for Putintseva, a Florida resident who switched from representing Russia to Kazakhstan in 2012 and has received support from the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation. She was on the Kazakh Olympic team, which later said she pulled out of the Paris games because of injury. Putintseva has won three WTA singles titles, including on grass in Birmingham this year, and notched wins over some of the best in the game – Naomi Osaka in the Wimbledon first round in 2019, top seed Coco Gauff in Cincinnati this year, and No. 1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, also in 2024. There are rigorous guidelines for ball crews at the majors. At the U.S. Open, anyone 14 years or older can apply for the job and the average age of a ball crew member is about 21. Ball teams sometimes contend with intense heat on court and balls flying at high speed in their direction. Tournament winners often thank the ball crews in trophy speeches. Some champions were once ball kids. “At heart, I'm always going to be a...