Uzbekistan’s medal hopes at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, are led by boxing, wrestling, and weightlifting Olympic champions. They are the best shots of a 396-strong team, some members of which are competing for the first time in five sports.
The Asian Games team will compete across 42 sports, according to Uzbekistan’s Olympic Committee. The Games will run from 19 September to 4 October in Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya.
Team Uzbekistan arrives with a strong recent benchmark, having finished fifth at the previous Games in Hangzhou, China, and collected 22 gold, 18 silver and 31 bronze medals, according to the Olympic Council of Asia.
The new ground is in beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, sailing, squash and mixed martial arts. The National Olympic Committee identifies all five as Uzbekistan’s first appearances in those disciplines at the Asian Games.
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Uzbekistan’s Asian Games team: who can claim medals?
- Abdumalik Khalokov brings Olympic and world titles to the boxing ring. The Paris champion is entered at 60kg in the six-man squad published by the boxing federation and reported by Sportarena. He also won the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, beating Brazil’s Luis Oliveira 5–0 in the final.
- Turabek Khabibullaev and Jahongir Zokirov give that squad further medal strength. Khabibullaev won gold in Liverpool at 90kg, while Zokirov took silver in the above 90kg category. Both are selected in the same categories for Japan.
- Razambek Jamalov is an Olympic champion making his Asian Games debut. The wrestler appears in United World Wrestling’s entry list at 74kg freestyle, the category in which he won Paris gold. His field includes Kazakhstan’s Nurkozha Kaipanov and Iran’s Younes Emami.
- Akbar Djuraev returns to Japan with two Olympic medals. He won gold in Tokyo and silver in Paris, finishing just 2kg behind the winner in 2024, according to the International Weightlifting Federation. Uzbekistan’s confirmed weightlifting squad lists him at 110kg among six competitors.
Read more: Uzbekistan shines at Liverpool World Boxing Championships with six golds
Football aims at ending 32-year wait
Uzbekistan’s men last won Asian Games football gold in 1994, the year Japan also hosted the tournament. The current under-23 side follows a bronze-medal finish in Hangzhou.
Coach Ravshan Haydarov’s 23-player squad includes Royal Antwerp winger Muhammadali O‘rinboyev, the 2025 AFC Under-20 Asian Cup’s leading scorer. Forward Amirbek Saidov scored four goals at the 2023 Under-17 World Cup, including one in Uzbekistan’s last-16 victory over England.
More on this: Uzbekistan picks football squad for Asian Games gold charge
The 20th Asian Games bring together Olympic sports and competitions such as kurash and esports. For viewers following Uzbekistan’s wrestlers, their tournament runs from 30 September to 3 October at the Nagoya Inae Sports Centre.
