Education and Role of Foreign Languages

Sport in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is the land of wrestlers (polvons). Kurash (wrestling) is a traditional sport for Uzbeks. It’s one of the most historical types of sports among the peoples of Central Asia. According to historical sources, Kurash existed at least three millennia ago in the region. In his historical work called “the Histories,” the Greek historian Herodotus mentioned that Kurash was a common activity of peoples of Central Asia. It is still a form of traditional martial arts and a public sports entertainment game in the region today. Kurash is especially popular among Uzbeks who have celebrated their major feasts and holidays with Kurash for centuries. Alpamish, an Uzbek legendary oral epic created a millennium ago, features Kurash as the main traditional martial art of its heroes in their struggle against enemies. Kurash also had been an important part of military training practice of traditional Central Asian armies, including that of Amir Temur. Since the independence of the country in 1991, Kurash became one of the national symbols of Uzbekistan in international sport competitions. Kurash rules and regulations were established in Uzbek. The first ever International Kurash tournament was held in Tashkent in 1998. This event also remarked the establishment of the International Kurash Association with 28 member countries. Today more than 100 nations are members of this Association and international Kurash tournaments are being held regularly among the member states.
Kopkari is a traditional horse sport played among Central Asian peoples for the past millennia. Its origins go back to the Turkic peoples of Central Asia whose horseback training came from their childhood due to their nomadic lifestyle. Horse riding together with archery skills was a comparative military advantage of Central Asian peoples for centuries. Today Kopkari (also called Buzkashi) is a popular traditional horseback sport game among Uzbeks in Central Asia including in Afghanistan. The rules are simple, a carcass of lamb or goat is thrown to the field by a referee and a crowd of horsemen compete to grab it from the ground while on horseback. Whoever brings the carcass to the particular circle area wins a prize.