Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – Samarkand Half Marathon is an annual international charity run. The organizer of the half marathon is the Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, together with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as with the khokimiyat of the Samarkand region and the city of Samarkand.

The main goal of the project is to draw public attention to the problem of inclusiveness at cultural and artistic sites of the country, as well as to popularize a healthy lifestyle and develop sports tourism in Uzbekistan. The proceeds from the half marathon will go to a charitable purpose - employment of people with disabilities in cultural institutions.

Aziz Abdukhakimov, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Uzbekistan said:

“For the third year now, we, with the Art and Culture Development Foundation and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, have been conducting the Samarkand Half Marathon with great and serious preparation. Over the years, we have implemented projects that have a positive impact on the lifestyle of the population in many cultural, spiritual and sports areas. Today, an active lifestyle is becoming more and more popular among the youth of our country. The Samarkand Half Marathon project is the largest sports event in our country. It has no analogues in the country, from year to year it becomes popular among our compatriots and foreign guests. I can say without exaggeration that today this half marathon is becoming a recognizable brand in the sports direction. Its reputation, experience and scale are growing from year to year. It is these charitable projects that help people with disabilities to integrate into the social life of the country."

Saida Mirziyoyeva, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of the Art and Culture Development Foundation noted:

“The Samarkand Half Marathon is an international charity race that expands its scale every year. Samarkand Half Marathon is important for its professional training, wide scale and commitment to high goals. All funds received from our charitable event this year will be used to employ people with disabilities in cultural institutions throughout the country. We are glad that this event attracted participants from different cities of our country and from abroad. "

Gayane Umerova, Executive Director of the Art and Culture Development Foundation commented:

“Everyone knows that the Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan has been implementing large-scale projects for the large-scale promotion of charity in the cultural and social spheres of our country since its inception. Close cooperation with government agencies and international organizations certainly contributes to the achievement of the expected results. The charitable sports and cultural event Samarkand Half Marathon is also one of the most significant in its scale and purpose. This year, the event sets itself such tasks as the development of an inclusive environment in Uzbekistan. Over the years, Samarkand Half Marathon has become a social model. The theme of this year’s half marathon is the employment of persons with disabilities in cultural institutions. The Foundation began active work in this direction. We hope that the half marathon will help draw additional attention and resources to this topic.”

Murad Nazarov, marathon participant, founder of Murad Buildings said:

“Everyone can use charity running as a source of additional motivation. The goals set by the participants of the action can be very different: the number of kilometers per week or per season, the frequency of training, participation in the marathon. There are no restrictions."