Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- An extraordinary General Assembly of the Sport Federation of Islamic Solidarity (SFIS) is being held in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), during which elections of the president of the organization were held. Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud was elected the head of SFIS for the period 2019-2021 according to the voting results.

In the event, where in addition to the elections, representatives of the National Olympic Committees and the International Sports Federations discuss various thematic issues, projects, organizational moments, and the Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan, Jasur Matchanov, takes part. The good news for Uzbekistan was the inclusion of the national form of wrestling - kurash - in the program of the Games of Islamic Solidarity.

“We discussed with the president and the general secretary (SFIS) the possibility of introducing kurash into the games of Islamic solidarity. There is no such discipline in this large-scale tournament. The idea was supported. We contacted the president of the International Kurash Association, Director of the Asian Games Department of the OCA, Haidar Farman, who supported this idea and the work has already begun. We will not succeed in introducing kurash into the program of the upcoming Games of Islamic Solidarity in 2021, but in 2025 there is such an opportunity and God will give our kurashists to perform and once again conquer the peaks at the Games of Islamic Solidarity,” noted Jasur Matchanov .

It is gratifying that our national sport - kurash, expanding the horizons is included in the program of major international tournaments. For the first time, Kurash entered the program of the V Asian Games in enclosed spaces and martial arts, which took place in Ashgabat in 2017. At the Asian Games in Indonesia last year, kurash was introduced in 2018. Then, medals were awarded in 7 weight categories.

During the visit of President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and President of the International Kurash Association, Director of the Asian Games OMA, Haidar Farman, in a meeting with the President of the National Olympic Committee Umid Akhmatdzhanov, the decision was made to increase the weight categories at the Asian Games from 7 to 15. Now, Kurash will be included in the program of the Games of Islamic Solidarity.