Turon and Kurash sign Memorandum of Understanding in New York
Sport is the pillar of a healthy nation, a healthy society, an ambassador of peace, and a source of national pride for every country.
Sport is not merely competition. Speaking at a national meeting on physical culture and sport on 7 April 2026, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan emphasised that sport is a powerful force shaping a healthy way of life, discipline and patriotism — and one that projects the standing of a nation before the world.
The International Turon Federation approaches its international work in precisely this spirit. A national sport carries more than technique and rules: it carries the identity, history and dignity of the people who created it.
On 10 August 2026 the International Turon Federation and the International Kurash Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a framework for long-term cooperation between the two organisations. The document was signed at the headquarters of the ITF, in the World Trade Center complex in Manhattan.
The ITF delegation was led by Mr. Farrukh Niyazimbetov, President of the Federation, and included Mr. Ravshanbek Almatov, Vice-President, and Mr. Abduaziz Isakulov, Legal Adviser to the President, together with members of the Executive Board. Mr. Azizbek Kholmuminov, Secretary General, took part online. The International Kurash Association was represented by its Acting President, Mr. Ziyovuddin Khodjiniyazov, accompanied by Mr. Daniel Abayev of the IKA Sports Committee.
Discussions centred on the international development of both disciplines: expanding their geography, sharing institutional knowledge and technical expertise, and creating pathways for Turon and Kurash to enter the programmes of major multi-sport events.
The ITF delegation underlined its interest in drawing on the Kurash Association's experience — in particular the path Kurash has taken from a traditional wrestling practice to a fully codified, internationally recognised sport represented on several continents. That journey offers a valuable reference point for Turon as it builds its own international structures.
A key practical outcome of the meeting was the decision to hold the first joint international event featuring both Turon and Kurash in Manhattan, New York, in October 2026. The event is intended as the opening step in a wider programme of joint promotion, with particular attention to developing both sports across the United States.
Under the Memorandum the two organisations will exchange knowledge and expertise, coordinate on competition and officiating standards, and pursue joint projects at international level. Turon and Kurash were born on the same land; their meeting in New York is less a beginning than a continuation.