Active discussions are one of the main characteristics of an active civil society. The Paris Olympics brought great joy to the people of Uzbekistan, but also sparked a debate about state funding of sports on social networks. Kun.uz invited those with opposing views to the studio.
At the beginning of the interview, Uzbek judo manager Eldor Kakhorov touched on the participation of the Olympians. According to him, at first the spirits of the athletes were slightly depressed due to the defeats in football, but then Diyora Keldiyor’s gold medal in judo motivated other athletes. The manager said champions should be rewarded and encouraged. Whether it is from the state or the private sector is another question.
Blogger Otabek Mahkamov said that it is wrong to give prizes exclusively from the state budget. According to world experience, the promotion of champions is undertaken by sports sponsors and sales representatives. In addition, the attitude towards sports and knowledge bearers should not differ.
“Since the money comes from the state budget, we should think more about it. It was mentioned about the money that is given in Singapore, if we compare the economy of Singapore and Uzbekistan, we come across very scary numbers. The championship is a positive event for the country’s reputation. If necessary, $500 million should be provided to the winners, but not from the state budget,” says Mahkamov.
Executive director of the Silk Road Research Academy, education researcher Azamat Akbarov believes that the state should stop interfering in sports. The development of sports will be better with the private sector.
“In England, the state rarely intervenes in sport. The US Olympic Committee receives almost no government funding. Even America allocates money to build a stadium. They will only pay if this stadium pays off. I recently read that more than 6,000 schools in Uzbekistan do not have sewage. Priorities for the state should be clear and correct,” said Akbarov.
Sports manager Kachorov said that athletes should not need anything in response to activists.
“America is a developed country, their athletes participate in almost all sports. We won medals in only 5 sports. You know, athletes shouldn’t starve. They focus on sports only when they don’t need money and other things. Here, Bahadir Jalolov, Ulugbek Rashitov won gold in Tokyo, received a prize, and the main focus was on sports again,” says Kahhorov.
Otabek Mahkamov added that not only athletes, but also young scientists should not starve. The attitude towards the champions should be the same as towards those who participated in various international science Olympiads and competitions. Rayona Ibrahimova from Andijan won the first place in the international Olympics, she says that it should not be considered less than the achievement of Olympic champions.
Shahrukh Majidov spoke.
