Shavkat Mirziyoyev awards head of World Taekwondo

On April 15, the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, received Cho Chung-won, president of World Taekwondo, who is currently in the country as part of the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships. The information was reported by the presidential press service.

In recent years, the number of people regularly practicing taekwondo in Uzbekistan has nearly doubled, reaching 35,000. Uzbek athletes also secured an overall third place in taekwondo at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

During the meeting, Cho Chung-won praised the ongoing reforms in Uzbekistan aimed at the rapid development of sports, the promotion of physical education among young people, and the creation of modern infrastructure.

The parties discussed further expanding cooperation, including the training of professional athletes and referees, the exchange of advanced practices in high technologies, artificial intelligence, and sports medicine, as well as the regular hosting of prestigious international competitions in Uzbekistan.

At the end of the meeting, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev awarded Cho Chung-won with Uzbekistan’s high honor, the “Dustlik” (Friendship) Order, for his personal contribution to promoting taekwondo in the country and for his significant efforts in strengthening friendship and solidarity among nations through sport.

In turn, Cho Chung-won presented President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with the Order of Honour, the highest personal award established by World Taekwondo, in recognition of his major contribution to the development of sports.

It was noted that this is the first time the award has been presented to the head of Uzbekistan, reflecting international recognition of the country’s large-scale reforms in developing sports, particularly taekwondo, and promoting a healthy lifestyle among young people.