Tashkent, Uzbekistan, October 16, 2024: The Chair of the OCA Coordination Committee for the 3rd Asian Youth Games Tashkent 2025, Mohammad Tayyab Ikram, is convinced that the success of Uzbekistan at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will have a knock-on effect at the AYG next September.
Uzbekistan won 13 medals at Paris 2024 in the summer, comprised of eight gold, two silver and three bronze, to finish 13th in the overall medal standings and the fourth-best Asian country after China, Japan and South Korea.
Addressing the local media at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to sum up the two-day Coordination Committee meeting, Mr. Tayyab said: “I think this meeting has come at the right time to reflect on the great result of Uzbekistan at the Olympic Games in Paris.
“Uzbekistan won 13 medals and produced eight Olympic champions, so I would like to celebrate this achievement and congratulate the government, the sports leaders and the National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan for their great success.
“I am sure that the public interest and enthusiasm in the Uzbekistan athletes will carry over to the Asian Youth Games in September next year and this will be very positive for the AYG.”
Mr. Tayyab told the local media that he wanted the citizens of Tashkent and Uzbekistan to feel part of the AYG, which will run from September 7-17, 2025 with 24 sports, 33 disciplines and 279 events.
“We would like to make them the People’s Games – the people of Uzbekistan,” he added.
“These games will be a games for the youth and a games for the future, for the young generation. Our target is we would like to deliver a very important project that has a sustainable legacy.”
The press conference took place at the Olympic Museum and followed two days of meetings and venue tours, including the state-of-the-art Olympic City that will be completed in January.
Mr. Tayyab also said that the AYG Tashkent 2025 would help to prepare Asia’s young athletes for the IOC’s Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal in 2026 – a factor that would add value and interest to the AYG.
The OCA Deputy Director General, Mr. Vinod Kumar Tiwari, said he had witnessed a lot of positive changes in Tashkent in terms of infrastructure, the development of the organising committee and the landscape of the city, and that the OCA would be back several times for key events such as the Technical Delegates Meeting, Chefs de Mission Seminar and draw for team sports.
The Deputy Minister for Sports Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Mr. Shakhrillo Makhmudov, said Uzbekistan had hosted many international sports events but the AYG Tashkent 2025 would be the biggest.
“This is the first time for Uzbekistan to host such a big international event and we know that the whole nation will be watching,” he said. “This is why the national federations for 24 sports are already preparing in order to have a successful Asian Youth Games next September.”