Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - Samarkand Half Marathon is an annual charity run organized by the Culture and Art Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture and the State Committee for Tourism Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as the khokimiyat of the Samarkand region.

The main goal of the project is to draw public attention to the problem of inclusiveness at cultural and artistic sites, as well as to popularize a healthy lifestyle and develop sports tourism in Uzbekistan.

The solemn part of the opening ceremony began with the welcoming words of the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Aziz Abdukhakimov and the khokim of Samarkand region Erkinjon Turdimov. They also gave an official start to the sports festival.

Due to the difficult epidemiological situation in the world, the Samarkand Half Marathon program in 2020 implies holding the sports part of the event in two formats - a race in Samarkand for 42 professional athletes from all regions of Uzbekistan at a distance of 21 km and a virtual race for everyone.

The Samarkand half marathon is not only a visiting card of the city, but also the best opportunity to get to know the city. The start of the race will begin from Registan Square, then the athletes will run past the main attractions of Samarkand Bibi-Khanum, Afrosiab, Khazrat-Khyzyr, the Khoja Doniyor mausoleum, the Ulugbek and Shahizinda observatories.

The top 10 runners (5 girls and 5 men) will receive their cash prizes.

1st place - 12 million soums.

2nd place - 10 million soums.

3rd place - 8 million soums.

4th place - 6 million soums.

5th place - 5 million soums.

At the same time, participants around the world will run together with the athletes. The virtual race format will give the Half Marathon participants the freedom to choose a location and distance, and the results will be accepted according to the data recorded in the Strava app. Scandinavian walking competitions have been added to the Half Marathon program, and children under 12 years old will run in the standings of a separate Children’s Race.

The race will run from 1 to 16 November. According to the results of the race, the best running city of Uzbekistan and the best running club will be determined. The city of Uzbekistan, in which the participants will run the largest number of kilometers, will receive the Cup "The Running Capital of Uzbekistan". The best running club will also be awarded a trophy.

Samarkand Half Marathon is a completely unique charity run that has no equal. This year, the organizers are focusing on the possibilities of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the problem of access of people with disabilities to cultural and art objects. The event will address issues of creating an inclusive environment for people with autism and the possibility of their integration into the social, cultural and public life of our country. The proceeds from the Samarkand Half Marathon will be used to create a children’s art studio in one of the boarding schools in Uzbekistan for children with autism. Our race is an important platform for drawing attention to supporting families with children with disabilities.

Also, within the framework of the Samarkand half marathon, educational and cultural programs in digital format were held. Representatives of the National Autistic Society (UK) charitable organization delivered online lectures for parents of children with autism, and experts from the British Museum spoke in detail about their Early Morning Explorers initiative. With the support of the "Friendly Environment" project (Russia), a series of online discussions, webinars and master classes were organized. Together with The Beat Film Festival, a film program was developed and shown at venues in Tashkent and Samarkand.