Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In order to strengthen the international prestige of the Republic of Uzbekistan and support cultural and humanitarian ties within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, on 27 March 2022, the Tashkent International Half Marathon will be organized for the first time. The half marathon will launch a number of events timed to coincide with the upcoming summit of the SCO heads of state under the chairmanship of the Republic of Uzbekistan in September 2022 in Samarkand.

The SCO half marathons, held on the initiative of an international organization since 2016, have become an integral part of cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the SCO member states. Sports events attract more and more interest from the international community every year. The universal values of mass sports, such as ensuring equality among people representing the diversity of cultures, nationalities and civilizations, strengthening cooperation between countries for the benefit of peace, and striving for sustainable and harmonious development, fully reflect the spirit and basic principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In 2019, within the framework of the Bishkek SCO Summit, the participants signed a Cooperation Agreement aimed at popularizing sports and physical culture among the population in the SCO space, encouraging professional athletes to participate in international competitions and creating favorable conditions for the development of Olympic, Paralympic and national sports.

The high level of preparation for holding SCO sporting events attracts not only a large number of runners from different countries, but also professional athletes of the Olympic level. The SCO marathons are included in the competition calendar of World Athletics (International Association of Athletics Federations). at each stage, a lot of work is carried out to prepare the event in accordance with the rules of the international association, from anti-doping control to the quality of the marathon track coverage.

The Athletics Federation of the Republic of Uzbekistan has extensive experience in organizing high-level sports races. The Tashkent International Marathon "Navruz", held on the eve of the spring holiday, sports races in the cities of Uzbekistan "Save Aral" and "Aral marathon" have already become traditional. The track for the upcoming SCO Tashkent International Half Marathon in 2021 has received a certificate from the Association of International Marathons and Races (AIMS). The program of the upcoming sporting event includes 2 distances of 3 km and 21 km. Not only runners from 18 states of the "SCO family", but also participants from other countries can take part in the sports race. The total prize fund for the winners is 138 million soums. (126 million soums for a half marathon and 12 million soums for a distance of 3 km).

The route of the SCO Tashkent International Half Marathon will pass through the central streets, which will allow participants of the race and guests of the capital to demonstrate new modern architectural complexes and the cultural and historical part of the city.

Athletes from Uzbekistan are regular participants in the ongoing SCO marathons. Last year, in the International Dushanbe Half Marathon, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the SCO, the first places were taken by Uzbek athletes - Shokhrukh Davlatov and Azizakhon Mirzaakbarova.

Deputy Chairman of the Athletics Federation Andrey Abduvaliev noted that in Uzbekistan in recent years more and more citizens have become active participants in mass sports events. Holding a sports marathon under the auspices of the SCO will increase the rating of Uzbekistan in the world of big-time sports and will serve as an additional incentive for domestic athletes to perform at the international level of training and meet on the same track with outstanding athletes from other countries.