February 10, 2014
Islam Karimov Takes Part in Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.. 2
Railroads Leading to the Future. 2
Athletes of Uzbekistan won 8 medals at Asian Youth Boxing Championships. 3
Press-service of MFA of the Republic of Uzbekistan
POLICY
Islam Karimov Takes Part in Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov attended February 7 the official opening ceremony of the 22nd Winter Olympics in the city of Sochi.
Our country is represented at the Olympics by a group of athletes who succeeded in qualifying competitions, including the mountain skiers Ksenia Grigorieva and Artyom Voronov, as well as the figure skater Misha Ge. The state flag of the Republic of Uzbekistan was raised in the Olympic village on February 5 in honor of our national team.
The 22nd Winter Olympics is sixth in a row that the national team of the independent Uzbekistan is taking part in.
Our nation was represented as a sovereign team for the first time in 1994 at the 17th Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, and it was that very contest that at once our athletes made a remarkable achievement: a gold medal was earned in freestyle.
Over the past years, Uzbekistan’s representatives won 6 gold, 5 silver and 11 bronze medals in the Olympics, while in the Asian Games our athletes won 54 gold, 76 silver and 93 bronze medals. Such accomplishments are indicative of Uzbekistan’s mounting consolidation in the community of those nations where sports are placed in the core of government priorities, yielding momentous fruits in the form of accelerated promotion of sports.
Today, sports have a growing significance and popularity with the younger generation of our people. Some two million children in Uzbekistan are regular in more than 30 types of sports, according to the head of our state – Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund for the Development of Children’s Sports Islam Karimov. National teams of our country in Olympic sports are shaped at schools of higher sporting mastery who host around 2,000 athletes.
In general, more than 5.5 thousand Olympians and members of national teams of around 90 countries are taking part in the 22nd Winter Games in Sochi.
The official opening ceremony of the Games took place in the Olympic Stadium Fisht on February 7 with heads of leading nations of the world attending the occasion. The colorful festivities culminated in the ceremony of setting the Olympic flame.
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President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov met with the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov as part of his trip to Sochi. During the talks the two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan as well as other issues of shared interest.
(Source: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan)
economy
Railroads Leading to the Future
The dynamic development of railways has always been a top priority of the national transport system. Since the time when Uzbekistan gained its independence, steel lines have tied the most remote corners of our country, and become an integral part of the global railway system.
Our railroaders point out that figures speak about their achievements better that anything else. The State Joint Stock Railway Company Uzbekistan Railways transported 63.7 million tons of cargo within the territory of the country last year. This volume is 3.5% more if compared with 2012. The company also transported 8.3 million tons of transit cargo.
Many modern companies of Uzbekistan sell their products in foreign markets, and buy innovative equipment from abroad in order to upgrade their facilities. The firms use railways to deliver such goods. Thus, 11.1 million tons of produce were imported in Uzbekistan and 7.4 million tons were exported abroad via railways during the last year alone.
Some 18.5 million passengers (up 7.9%) used domestic railways in 2013. Enterprises of Uzbekistan Railways produced goods worth 288.7 billion soums (Currency rates of CB from 10.02.2014 1$=2209.68 soums). This number is 8.1% bigger than it was the year before.
Uzbek railroaders have plans which can bring the domestic railway industry to a new level. One of them is the construction of a new railway Angren-Pop which will not only bind the Farghona Valley with other areas of the nation, but also will become a new transit route between the European countries and China. The project was launched last year. The latest technologies and construction methods are to be applied during the implementation of this scheme. The railroad is to be electrified in accordance with international standards. China Railway Tunnel Group will pave a unique 19-kilometer long railway tunnel for about $ 455 million.
According to Husniddin Hosilov, manager general of Uzbekistan Railways Company, the project is now ahead of schedule by 20%. Construction companies are equipped with modern machinery and equipment, so the new path will enter into service on time.
This year the company plans to increase its shipment of goods by 6%, turnover by 5%, its passenger traffic by 7%, and the volume of exports by 5%. The number of passengers to use the company’s services will reach 19 million. In addition, the company has plans to increase the production of industrial goods by 8.9% and to create 611 new jobs.
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)
sport
Athletes of Uzbekistan won 8 medals at Asian Youth Boxing Championships
The Asian Youth Boxing Championships have ended in Bangkok, Thailand. Our athletes won eight awards, including two gold medals, and proved second in team rating.
At the time when our team leaved for Bangkok, experts said that the team was able to achieve good results. But no one expected that they would win 8 medals in 10 weight categories. The tournament was attended by athletes born in between 1996-1997, this means that in the future these athletes will form the backbone of Uzbekistan Boxing national team. They will represent our country not only in Asia but also in the world’s biggest tournaments, like Olympic Games and World Championships.
The head coach Marat Kurbanov took to the tournament 10 young athletes, one boy for each weight category. The honor of the country in lightweight was defended by Bekzodbek Tursunboev (-49 kg), Abdulhai Shorahmatov (-52 kg), Ikboljon Kholdarov (-56 kg), Fazliddin Meliboev (-60 kg). The average weight category was presented by Mahmud Gaipov (-64 kg) Bektemir Melikuziev (-69 kg) Kozimbek Mardonov (-75 kg). Aziz Shukurov (-81 kg), Asilbek Soliev (-91 kg), and Shohruhbek Erkinov (+91 kg) boxed in heavyweight.
As the young boxers noted themselves the tournament was very difficult. The strongest young athletes of the continent were there. Our two boxers Bektemir Melikuziev and Kozimbek Mardonov won gold medals and were awarded with the titles of Asia Champion. In the final fights they were utterly above their opponents, 3-0, Shabbos Negmatullaev (Tajikistan) and Neel Kamal (India), respectively.
Four of our fighters stopped a step from the first place. Abdulhai Shorahmatov, Mahmud Gaipov, Aziz Shukurov, and Asilbek Soliev won silver medals. Fazliddin Meliboev and Shohruhbek Erkinov took bronze.
(Source: “Uzbekistan Today” newspaper)