The Paris 2024 Olympics became the most successful for Uzbekistan since the country gained independence. In the overall medal standings among athletes from more than 200 countries and regions, Uzbek Olympians won 13 medals, including eight gold medals, ranking13th on the medal leader board, and first among Central Asian countries and regions as well as the CIS, as well as fourth in Asia after China, Japan, and South Korea. 

A poster of Uzbekistan's Olympic athletes Photo: Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan in China

The Uzbek national boxing team secured the title of the strongest in the world, taking first place in the medal standings. Of the seven boxers in the men's team, five won gold medals. 

The champions in Paris were Hasanboy Dusmatov, Abdumalik Khalokov, Asadhuja Muidinhuzhaev, Lazizbek Mullozhonov, and Bahodir Zhalolov. Moreover, B. Bakhodirov and H. Dostmatov became two-time Olympic champions. 

The real sensation was the performance of Uzbek judo sportsman Diyora Keldierova at the Paris 2024 Olympics, who won in the final over the previously undefeated athlete from Japan, Uta Abe. Thus, Keldierova became the first woman from Uzbekistan to win a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games. 

Ulugbek Rashitov became a two-time Olympic taekwondo champion, opening a new chapter in the history of Uzbek sports. Ulugbek, who won a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, became the youngest champion in the history of Uzbekistan at the age of 19. 

The gold medal in freestyle wrestling was taken by athlete Razambek Jamalov, earning Uzbekistan the country's first gold medal in the sport. 

Notably, back in August 2021, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated that Uzbekistan has every opportunity to be among the top 15 teams of the Olympiad. 

In recent years, Uzbekistan has fundamentally consolidated the image of a state with outstanding athletes - boxers, judoists, weightlifters, chess players, and world-class soccer players. 

To foster high-class athletes, consistent work is underway to improve the material and technical base necessary for the creation of future champions. More than 200 large sports facilities have been commissioned in Uzbekistan and another 150 facilities have been reconstructed. 

The sports infrastructure created in Uzbekistan has become a venue for major international competitions, including the World and Asian championships in boxing, taekwondo, freestyle wrestling, fencing, and other sports. The country is preparing to host the Asian Youth Games in 2025. 

Uzbekistan has created a unique three-stage system of sports competitions among students of all ages - Umid nihollari (Sprouts of Hope), Barkamol Avlod (Perfect Generation), and Universiade, which make an invaluable contribution to the training of gifted and talented athletes. 

Today, Uzbekistan is, in the full sense of the word, a sporting nation. A healthy lifestyle is widely approved among young people, and mass sports are ensured. Uzbek athletes, by achieving great victories at prestigious international competitions, demonstrate to the whole world the high sporting potential of Uzbekistan. The results achieved by our athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympics once again vividly presented Uzbekistan to the world's sports community as a country where sports are developing at an accelerated pace. 

Thanks to the large-scale transformations in the country, sports have become one of the prestigious fields of activity, especially among young people. Uzbek athletes will continue to give new victories to the New Uzbekistan, and their names will be added to the annals of domestic and world sports.