Senate Approves New Law on Physical Culture and Sports to Promote Mass and Professional Athletics

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — At a plenary session, the Senate of Uzbekistan reviewed and approved the Law “On Physical Culture and Sports” in its new edition.

During the discussions, it was noted that the law clearly defines the key directions of state policy in physical culture and sports, as well as measures of government support for their development. The Ministry of Sports, the National Olympic Committee, and the National Paralympic Committee are recognized as primary entities in the field and are granted additional powers.

The document sets standards for Paralympic, Deaflympic, and Special Olympic sports, as well as sports for persons with visual impairments. It establishes the legal status and operating procedures for sports federations, clubs, and leagues, including criteria for their inclusion in or exclusion from the official register. The law also defines the rights, responsibilities, and legal status of coaches, referees, and sports agents.

New provisions are introduced to prevent and combat doping, counteract unlawful influence on competition results, and emphasize the engagement of the population in mass sports through regular public events. The state is empowered to provide support to athletes and coaches in the form of one-time and monthly payments.

Senators highlighted that the adoption of the law will contribute to the further development of physical culture and sports, ensure systematic organization within the sector, eliminate legal gaps and uncertainties, and clearly allocate responsibilities among ministries, agencies, and local executive authorities.