Oybek Narmetov: In kickboxing we strive to reach the world level.

A few years ago, kickboxing in Uzbekistan reached a very high level. The results achieved are an example of this. But in the meantime, things about this sport in Uzbekistan seem to be going a little backwards. Oybek Narmetov, who first worked as the head of the Uzbek kickboxing and for some reason left the post, was reappointed chairman of the Uzbek Kickboxing Association.

The team led by this leader recently participated in the International European Cup open tournament in Turkey and won 4 gold and 4 bronze medals.

We had a brief conversation with Oybek Narmetov about this tournament and other issues.
Below, we bring this interview to your attention.

- In Turkey, the national team under your leadership won a total of 8 medals. This is an amazing result for us fans! As a leader, are you satisfied with this indicator?

- In general, as you mentioned, we have a good result. However, we still have many shortcomings and we need to eliminate them. I think we are still on the verge of great success. Of course, in the near future, kickboxing in Uzbekistan will have its own fame in the world.

- What was the place in the team standings?

- We took the second place. Ukraine also won four gold medals. But we left them behind in exchange for bronze. Here is an example of your question above. The first place was taken by the Turkish national team. They won 8 gold. More than 1,500 athletes took part in the event. The Uzbek delegation included 18 athletes.

- Nowadays, professional kickboxing is very well developed in the world, and fans are very interested in professional fights, which are organized by promotions such as "Glory", "One Championship". From this point of view, do we need to pay more attention to this area?

- Indeed, the prestige of professional kickboxing is very high. This direction is gradually competing with boxing and MMA. We are working hard on this as well. To be more precise, we have organized a promotion "Kickboxing PRO" under the auspices of the Kickboxing Association of Uzbekistan.

- That is very good news

- Of course, our goal is to create opportunities for talented people who often organize fights, dedicate their lives to kickboxing and eventually dive into other activities for a living. In addition, it is to draw the attention of the world kickboxing community to our country and, in a sense, to make a partial contribution to tourism. This is not a simple promotion. On the contrary, we strive to reach the world level.

- We know that in his time there were super kickboxing masters such as Olmos Yusupov, Gulbahor Amantaeva, Shavkat Urakov, Timur Mukhammadjonov. Are there any young people who are able to repeat their results now?

- We have a lot of talented young athletes. Of course, the above will be the legends of kickboxing in Uzbekistan and so on. I believe that our young people are able to record even better results, if necessary. There is a big difference between kickboxing then and now. This sport is developing and the competition is growing. Tactical methods and various new methods are emerging. That is why it is difficult to win any tournament. Nevertheless, we can say and hope that great success awaits our youth. As the head of the association, I try to create what we need.

- Did the positive result of the international tournament attract the attention of the world kickboxing officials to Uzbekistan?

- Of course, the world kickboxing community was amazed by our results. Because our level and results were very low. I met with the leaders of world kickboxing and introduced them to our goals. We have reached agreement on many issues. So, we were able to regain their confidence in Uzbek kickboxing. Most importantly, we agreed to hold major tournaments in our country.

- Let me know more about this topic. What big tournament do you plan to organize in Uzbekistan in the coming days?

- On June 15-21, Tashkent will host the international kickboxing tournament WAKO "Uzbekistan Open". Our goal is to hold this tournament in a wonderful way and, in a sense, to host the Asian and World Championships in Uzbekistan. As mentioned above, our goal is serious and we will not shy away from it.

- Which regions are recognized as leaders in the development and popularity of this sport?

- Andijan, Namangan and Fergana are well developed in the valley. In Bukhara, under the leadership of Muzaffar Radjabov, it is developing rapidly and many talented young people are emerging. In general, the attention is high in each region. Only in Khorezm and Karakalpakstan it is a bit slower and we have our own plans in this regard.

- Thank you for a meaningful conversation and we wish you success in your endeavors!

- Thank you for your attention!