Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Sports fans from 12 countries took part in the online charity run.

The organizers of the project informed about participants from Bogota (Colombia), Seth (France), Dubai (UAE) and other cities of the world

Registration for the online charity run continues until 31 August - all funds raised will be used to purchase stationery and art kits for a boarding school in Tashkent that works with children with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). Already 200 participants from all over the world have supported the project and donated funds to charity.

Anyone can take part in the online race until the end of summer 2020. To do this, you need to choose one of three distances, register on the site and pay for your participation. You can run the distance at any convenient time and in any convenient place - the main thing is to confirm the fact of running. All you need to do is download the GPS track from any fitness app on the half marathon website. All participants in the race will receive a commemorative medal for the 2019 Samarkand Half Marathon participant.

The online race is organized by the Samarkand Half Marathon team. The main goal of the project is to draw public attention to the problem of accessibility and inclusiveness of cultural and art objects in Uzbekistan. In addition, each run of the project is essentially a massive charity event with a specific task. Last year, the organizer of the event, the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Arts under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, channeled the proceeds from the half marathon to introduce the technology of audio commentary in Uzbekistan - this technique allows blind and visually impaired people to visit museums, theaters and other cultural institutions.

Already in February 2020, three performances were organized using audio commentary at the State Youth Theater of Uzbekistan and the State Puppet Theater of Uzbekistan. In addition, the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan organized an educational program for teaching audio commentary. Graduates of this program will further assist the Foundation in implementing inclusive programs throughout the country.

The organizers emphasize that the relevance of an inclusive and accessible culture has become especially evident due to the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic. Now millions of people are forced to stay at home, and every inhabitant of the country was able to understand from their own experience what a restriction in movement means. The quarantine will end soon and everyone can start a normal life again. But for thousands of people with disabilities and disabilities across the country, the regime of forced rather than voluntary self-isolation has long become the norm. The main goal of Samarkand Half Marathon is to remind everyone that this situation can and should be corrected.

Samarkand Half Marathon is the first international charity run in Uzbekistan. This project is part of a long-term program of the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Arts under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, aimed at creating an inclusive environment in the country's cultural institutions. In addition to the sports part, the 2019 half marathon program included educational and cultural events.