Dushanbe, Tajikistan, September 3, 2020: Tajikistan Olympic Games hero Dilshod Nazarov has stated that the country’s athletes are firmly behind Tajikistan President and President of the National Olympic Committee, Emomali Rahmon, as he bids for another term as the country’s leader.
Rahmon has led the country since 1992 and will run for another term at the Presidential elections to be held in October. In support of his candidacy, Nazarov, who won the country its first Olympic gold medal, in hammer throw, at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has come out strongly in support.
Addressing the Youth Union of Tajikistan, Nazarov said the country’s success in the sports arena since independence was mainly due to the support and help of President Rahmon.
“It is thanks to the Honourable Leader of the Nation that, in the 29 years of independence, the National Flag of the Republic of Tajikistan has been raised more than 5,000 times in the international sports arena,” Nazarov, speaking on behalf of 50,000 professional athletes, said.
Nazarov recounted: “In the 70 years of the former Soviet Union, Tajik athletes won only 133 medals. Since independence, this number has increased 40 times and reached more than 5,000.”
He praised Rahmon’s leadership for providing the infrastructure for sports and for giving prominence to sports as a way to strengthen public health.
“Today there are 10,071 sports facilities registered in the country regardless of their form of ownership, including 122 stadiums, 7,212 sports grounds, 1,803 sports halls, 93 swimming pools and 37 sports complexes and 804 special sports facilities. This is 6,000 more than what we had in 1990.
“In order to attract young children and teenagers to sports, there are 128 sports schools including one National Olympic Training Centre, four schools of higher sports, one Olympic Training Centre in Khorog and two regional schools of higher sports. We have 12 special sports schools - 10 in Dushanbe and one each in Khujand and Rudaki districts - and 95 sports schools in cities and districts.”
Nazarov added: “Under the auspices of HE Emomali Rahmon, the country is steadily entering a new stage of development, formation and strengthening of the idea of a healthy nation. The policy of the Government of Tajikistan is promoting a healthy lifestyle - and turning to sports has become a major occupation of the people.
“All this happiness and honour is due to the blessings of independence and the Leader of the Nation, Emomali Rahmon. He has told us athletes that when we go abroad to compete to remember that, behind you, are the Head of State and nine million people.
“It is a source of pride and honour for me that, on behalf of 50,000 professional athletes, we fully support the candidacy of the Leader of the Nation and President of Tajikistan NOC, Emomali Rahmon, for the next seven years, too,” Nazarov concluded.
Source: Tajikistan NOC
