Two traditional Uzbek sports are joining forces to expand their international reach.
The International Turon Federation (ITF) and International Kurash Association (IKA) signed a memorandum of understanding in New York on Aug. 10, laying the groundwork for cooperation between the organizations and announcing plans for their first joint international event in Manhattan this October.
The agreement was signed at the International Turon Federation’s headquarters in the World Trade Center following a meeting between representatives of the two organizations.
Discussions focused on expanding the international presence of Turon and Kurash, sharing technical and institutional expertise, and working toward greater representation for both disciplines at major multi-sport events.
For Turon, the experience of Kurash offers a particularly useful model. Kurash, the traditional Uzbek form of wrestling, has developed into an international competitive sport practiced around the world. Turon draws on the martial traditions of Central Asia and was formally recognized as a sport in Uzbekistan in 1992. Its international federation, now headquartered in New York, is seeking to broaden the sport’s reach beyond Uzbekistan.
Representing the ITF was its president, Farrukh Niyazimbetov, along with Vice President Ravshanbek Alimatov, legal adviser Abduaziz Isakulov and members of the federation’s executive board and international partners. ITF Secretary General Azizbek Kholmuminov joined remotely. The International Kurash Association was represented by Acting President Ziyovuddin Khodjiniyazov and IKA Sports Committee member Daniel Abayev.
Under the agreement, the organizations plan to exchange expertise, coordinate on competition and officiating standards, and collaborate on international projects.
The partnership also reflects Uzbekistan’s broader push to promote its traditional sports internationally. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has emphasized sport as a means of encouraging health and discipline at home while strengthening connections between countries.
“Sport is the pillar of a healthy nation, a healthy society, an ambassador of peace, and a source of national pride for every country,” Mirziyoyev said at an April 7 meeting devoted to physical culture and sport.
The partnership will get its first public test in October, when Turon and Kurash are scheduled to appear together at a joint international event in Manhattan — bringing two sports rooted in Uzbekistan to an American audience thousands of miles from where they began.
By Erin Levi
The Bukharian Times English Editor
