Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Euronews journalist Galina Polonskaya, having attended a training session of the Uzbekistan national youth hockey team, noted the determination of young athletes. The focus is on the country’s youth team.

Thus, team captain Jasurbek Rustamkhonov was recognized last year as the top scorer of the Asian and Oceanian Championship among junior teams in Mongolia. The impressive 14 goals he scored then brought the Uzbekistan team to the leaders of the continental championship.

The revival of hockey in Uzbekistan is becoming an incentive for young people to master this sport, popular all over the world.

“This is actually a new sport that hasn’t existed for 30 years,” says Bakhtiyor Fazylov, president of the Uzbekistan Hockey Federation. “We want to revive it and push it further.” The goal of our federation is to reach the World Hockey Championship in 2025.”

In a short period of 5 years, the Hockey Federation managed not only to create the professional hockey club “Humo” and a successful youth national team of the country, but also to make Uzbek hockey the favorite game of a new generation of fans. Games on the ice of the country’s main ice complex, Humo Arena, are held in front of a record number of spectators; hockey in Uzbekistan is becoming one of the most discussed and prestigious sports.

And most importantly, as Euronews notes, the revival of ice hockey in Uzbekistan inspires a new generation of stars, and the game itself is once again becoming one of the most popular sports in the country.