Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s national team will compete in 42 sports at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, including five sports in which Uzbek athletes will make their debut.
A press conference on Uzbekistan’s participation in the Asian and Para Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 was held at the Museum of Olympic and Paralympic Glory in Tashkent.
The event was attended by Deputy Sports Minister Shahrullo Makhmudov, Deputy Chairman of the National Paralympic Committee Hikmat Toshmatov, Paris 2024 Paralympic champion in para athletics Yorkinbek Odilov, as well as representatives of the sporting community and media.
Of the 42 sports in which Uzbekistan will compete at the Asian Games, 36 are included in the Olympic programme. Uzbek athletes will compete in beach volleyball, volleyball, sailing, squash and MMA for the first time.
Sports officials said athletes had undergone extensive preparations for the continent’s main multi-sport event. Medal expectations are not limited to specific disciplines, with athletes from all three categories — priority, promising and developing sports — expected to compete for medals.
Makhmudov also said Japan’s climatic conditions should not pose an obstacle for Uzbek athletes. He said the necessary conditions had been created for the national team and that the athletes would be able to adapt quickly to the weather.
The press conference also covered preparations for the Para Asian Games. Training camps were organized for para athletes, while Uzbekistan will compete in 11 sports at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Para fencing, para archery and boccia will be new sports for Uzbek athletes at the Para Asian Games. According to Toshmatov, these sports are actively developing in Uzbekistan.
Asked why only the women’s national team would participate in the handball tournament, Makhmudov said the decision had been made jointly with the federation. He said the women’s team had a better chance of achieving a successful result than the men’s team.
Sports officials also answered other questions concerning preparations for and Uzbekistan’s participation in the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian and Para Asian Games.
