Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 3 September, under the slogan "One country, one start, one distance, one goal - we run together!" Tashkent, Nukus, Samarkand, Jizzakh, Navoi, Bukhara, Karaulbazar, Karshi, Guzar, Termez, Gulistan, Nurafshan, Andijan, Namangan, Ferghana and Khiva joined the international Yangi Nafas race dedicated to the celebration of the 32nd anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

About 100,000 joggers in each region and the Republic of Karakalpakstan celebrated the main holiday of the country on this day with a mass run along the central streets of cities. In Tashkent, Yangi Nafas took place at the iconic place of all city races - the territory of the Humo Arena sports area. More than 7,000 participants joined the race in the capital, including about 3,000 students from 50 universities in Tashkent.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Youth Policy and Sports of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan, the Agency for Youth Affairs, khokimiyats of participating cities, Uzbekneftegaz JSC and the Athletics Federation.

The program of the race in Tashkent included two distances of 3 and 10 km. For other cities, a single symbolic distance of the Yangi Nafas sports movement is 3 km.

  It is worth noting that Yangi Nafas international sports races are open to everyone, regardless of citizenship. Representatives of 30 foreign countries joined the large-scale sports festival. About 400 members of sports running clubs arrived from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan to support the Yangi Nafas race.

At the opening of the event in Tashkent, the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov delivered a welcoming speech, who congratulated all participants of the sporting event on the Independence Day of the Republic of Uzbekistan and noted that holding Yangi Nafas sports races on the main state dates has become a good tradition today . The Yangi Nafas sports movement, which any resident of the republic can join, has become the platform where strength of mind, a sense of patriotism and unity with the whole country are combined.

  Zulaikho Makhkamova, Deputy Prime Minister of the country, Viktor Makhmudov, Secretary of the Security Council under the President of the Republic and Adkham Ikramov, Minister of Youth Policy and Sports of Uzbekistan also spoke at the opening of the Yangi Nafas race.

Over the three years of holding mass races, more than 700 thousand participants have united under the flag of the Yangi Nafas sports movement, the main goal of which is to strengthen the health of the nation and popularize an active lifestyle. In this regard, interest in mass sports and athletics has actively grown in the regions. In preparation for this Yangi Nafas race, press conferences were organized in the Fergana Valley and Samarkand with the participation of the Athletics Federation, where issues of preparation for a large-scale event were discussed.

By tradition, during the Yangi Nafas race, Sport TV channel organized a live broadcast of the sporting event with connections from the participating cities on the territory of the Humo Arena in Tashkent.

For the winners of Yangi Nafas, the organizers allocated a prize fund and memorable souvenirs with the emblem of the race. For solemn congratulations to the leaders of the race, a gala evening was organized in Milliy Bog Park.