13-02-12 - Comprehensively advanced generation, a reliable backbone of our country

Дата публикации: Feb 26, 2012 2:30:50 PM

COMPREHENSIVELY ADVANCED GENERATION,

A RELIABLE BACKBONE OF OUR COUNTRY

At the Oqsaroy, President Islam Karimov chaired regular session of Children’s Sports Development Foundation Board of Trustees on February 10.There exist a number of factors that help define a country’s might. One of the most crucial among those power pillars is the highly spirited, physically robust, comprehensively advanced posterity, since the nation’s destiny, the people’s future is rested in the hands of a growing generation. In his book titled “High Spirituality Is Invincible Force”, President Islam Karimov observes that the future of our Motherland, the standing of our nation in the international community is foremost contingent on our children, on how they are nurtured. Furthering these noble goals and ideas has been defined as one of pivotal facets of government policy along our country’s independent development path. Drawing on the National Program of Training Specialists, an effective system of cultivating a young generation has been underway to bring up physically and ethically sound personalities wielding high intellectual capacities, profound knowledge and modern way of thinking. In this regard, promotion of children’s sports, already a nationwide movement, is vital in fostering physically robust boys and girls. Children’s sports is the axle of Uzbek sports, and hence critical in uplifting the repute of our country in the international arena.Children’s Sports Development Foundation and an ensuing unique system of promoting sports among the youths was set up at the initiative of the head of state. The President’s October 24, 2002, resolution on establishing Children’s Sports Development Foundation of Uzbekistan, and the one on measures to refine the activities of the Foundation signed August 29, 2004, have served as central guide for action in this direction.

Islam Karimov has underscored in particular that we have garnered a commanding experience in this realm ever since the Foundation was brought into being. A healthy and comprehensively advanced generation is being nurtured in Uzbekistan, and our young athletes have been making remarkable accomplishments in international setting by cashing in their masterly skills and talent – suggestive of the outcome of special emphasis being placed in this country on boosting sports, of juvenile sports in particular.

“At the time we instituted this Foundation, we set out to further noble goals like the encouragement of healthy lifestyle, shielding the youth from various harmful influences, turning children’s sports into a mass, national movement,” the head of our state said.

“After all, only a nation who considers fostering a comprehensively sophisticated generation its uppermost, sacred objective can hope for a meaningful place in the world community.”

The meeting served as a good venue for a detailed analysis of the progress being made in addressing the tasks outlined during the preceding session of the Board on February 25, 2011. Today’s event participants attached a due consideration to the efforts undertaken for the past year in construction, reconstruction and cardinal overhaul of children’s sports facilities and swimming pools, in extensive attraction of girls to regular involvement in sports, equipment of gyms with necessary hardware and stock.

Dozens of modern sports complexes and stadiums have been erected in urban and rural areas in order to bolster juniors’ sports. The directives charted in target program for 2011 with regard to building, reconstruction and comprehensive repairs of children’s sports facilities, music and arts schools, have been reported as executed completely. 214 facilities, including 130 sports objects, 19 swimming pools, and 65 music and arts schools, have been commissioned.

Hundreds of new facilities in diverse spheres are built in Uzbekistan every year, yet construction of children’s sports buildings has been of particular importance. The parents feel happy to see their kids go in for sports in these facilities, grow healthy and intellectually mature, according to President Karimov.

1,400 modern facilities of children’s sports have been commissioned since the Foundation was established. A number of companies and organizations have made their due input into this gracious undertaking. The activities of Uzbekneftgaz, Uzbekistan Railways, Uzavtosanoat companies, Navoi and Almalyk mining complexes, National Bank of Uzbekistan for Foreign Economic Activity, Asaka Bank – all of them energetic sponsors of the Foundation – have found acknowledgement during the meeting.

As a result of these good strides aiming to address concrete tasks, the number of children aged 6-15 going in for sports has risen from 29.2 percent in 2008 to 34.9 percent in 2011, and among girls the percentage has made 24.1 and 31.4, respectively.

Noteworthy has been the growing number of youngsters participating in national and international competitions, with a corresponding rise in the awards being won.

Our athletes won 103 medals in 2008, including 51 gold, and the number in 2011 grew to 182 medals overall, with 60 gold. Significantly, more prizes have been won by those in water sports. The Karakalpak athlete Abubakir Uzakbaev, to name but one, has been awarded gold medal at academic rowing Asia Cup in Singapore.

The national youth soccer team of Uzbekistan partook in juniors’ World Cup in Mexico as one of globe’s 24 strongest national teams. Rishod Sobirov won gold at judo world championship in Paris in 2011, to be awarded the title of twice world champion. FC Nasaf Qarshi won Asian Football Confederation Cup, while Abdulla Tangriev was honored with title of judo world champion in absolute weight category.

Uzbekistan has been hosting numerous major international contests. Thus, artistic gymnastics World Cup stage competitions and Happy Caravan international tournament took place in 2011 in Tashkent. The friendly chess match between two world champions – Rustam Qosimjonov and India’s Viswanathan Anand – was organized in the Uzbek capital at a high level. As part of that meeting, Anand held a training seminar with our juvenile chess players and said he admired their skills and talent.

The head of our state suggested at the meeting that sports have become integral part of education system.

Uzbek youths have displayed mounting interest in soccer, futsal, ping-pong, swimming, rowing and canoeing, academic rowing, chess, artistic gymnastics, kurash, Greco-Roman wrestling, boxing, track and field athletics.

One of critical aspects of children’s sports policy has been to make sports appealing to girls and create essential conditions and environment for them to be regularly engaged in sports.

Such fine sports as artistic and sports gymnastics have been advancing in Uzbekistan. Dozens of new sports complexes designed for gymnastics have been built for girls, especially in rural areas.

It was noted during the session that Khorezm, Bukhara, Andijan regions, Republic of Karakalpakstan and Tashkent city have demonstrated good results of efforts to attract girls to sports.

The April 1, 2010, presidential resolution on measures to stimulate the work of coach women in rural children’s sports facilities has been a major factor in boosting the efforts on this front. As a result, the number of qualified female coaches working in such facilities grew more than 1.6 times in 2011.

Today, the parents express appreciation that their daughters’ engagement in sports has been vital not merely for their health, but also for a correct formation of posture and gait. According to Islam Karimov, the sound development of girls is critical in bearing a comprehensively sound posterity.

The three-tier sports games – Umid Nihollari (Offspring of Hope), Barkamol Avlod (Comprehensively Advanced Generation) and Universiade – held on the initiative of the head of state have come to be a peculiar school of nurturing gifted athletes capable of raising high the flag of Uzbekistan, to compete for the honor of nation overseas. Hundreds of young sportspeople annually discovered in this system of competitions have currently been successful in the international sport arenas.

That the sports have been penetrating deep into the life of our youths, while thousands of children have made sports their everyday challenge, has been positively influencing their physical state and health. In particular, the number of absolutely healthy children has increased from 52.7 percent to 62.9 percent in the 2005-2011 time span, while the number of kids affected by chronic diseases has substantially decreased. Average indicators of height and weight of boys and girls are going up. Among conscripts, the share of those fit for service is growing as well, indicative of practical outcomes of efforts on this front.

In its 2011 world rating, Save the Children ranked Uzbekistan in the list of top ten countries with highest care for the health of juniors – another international recognition of efforts undertaken in this country to foster a comprehensively robust generation.

“It is important that we make sports appealing for children right from early age, namely 3-5 years,” Islam Karimov insisted.

“Since it is this very age when the character of child starts to be shaped, they begin perceiving the world consciously. And those children, who have garnered feeling of love for sports starting from that formation age, are most likely to be friends with sports. Sports do not only consolidate their health, but also augment intellect, protect from a variety of defects, strengthen their willpower.”

Tremendous experience has been harvested in Uzbekistan in building sports complexes. Today, such facilities erected even in most remote areas, meet international standards. Practically every such complex is being outfitted with locally manufactured latest equipment.

Some 30 modern enterprises in Uzbekistan produce sports goods. As a result of localization program, 113 of the total 120 types of sports equipment are produced in local factories.

President Karimov stressed in particular that, along with production of sports supplies, it is imperative to attach special attention to their quality, to make sure they are by no means inferior to foreign counterparts. Shortcomings in construction of children’s facilities and their equipment have been pointed out at the meeting, with appropriate directives to eliminate them.

Prospective activities of the Children’s Sports Development Foundation have been discussed also during the convention. First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Azimov, Deputy Prime Minister – Chairwoman of Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan E.Basitkhanova, Children’s Sports Development Foundation executive director A.Achilov, Minister of Healthcare A.Ikramov, first deputy minister of culture and sports J.Akramov, heads of a range of ministries and government agencies, regional governors read out their relevant reports on topics discussed during the meeting.

Due resolutions have been approved with regard to issues addressed at the event.

UzA