TASHKENT TO HOST 2025 ASIAN YOUTH PARALYMPIC GAMES
Tashkent is due to host the Asian Youth Paralympic Games in 2025. It will succeed Bahrain which will host the Games this year, welcoming some 800 athletes this coming December.
The decision was made by the Executive Board of the Asian Paralympic Committee following a bid process that saw a number of National Paralympic Committees (NPC) express interest in hosting the event.
NPC Uzbekistan, supported by the country’s Ministry for Tourism and Sport, submitted a bid to host the event in late September/early October 2025 in Tashkent, which means that for the first time they will be held in the same city and same venues as the Asian Youth Games.
Tashkent was awarded hosting rights for the Asian Youth Games in the same year by the Olympic Council of Asia in September 2019.
Commenting on the decision, APC President Majid Rashed said: “We’re delighted that the host city for the fifth edition of the Asian Youth Para Games has been decided before the next edition takes place. There were a several of strong bids under consideration, and we would like to thank everyone who submitted a bid.
“We hope that they will consider future events but there can only be one successful bidder and we are very pleased that this announcement means that the Central Asia sub-region will be holding its first major regional Games. We would like to congratulate NPC Uzbekistan for putting together a strong bid that reflects their ambitions for Para sport in their country and we hope that the Games will act as a catalyst for the development of para-sport in the Central Asia sub-region and beyond.”
A first for Central Asia
NPC Uzbekistan President Mukhtorkhon Tashkhodjaev said: “This is a proud moment for para-sport in Uzbekistan. We are an ambitious country and have steadily been increasing our delegation size and the number of medals won at both the Asian Para Games and the Paralympic Games.
The Asian Youth Paralympic Games event was first staged in Tokyo in 2009. It was then followed by Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia in 2013 and Dubai in the UAE in 2017. Having only won one silver medal at its previous three appearances at the Paralympic Games, Uzbekistan claimed eight golds at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
“Staging the 2025 Asian Youth Para Games shows our commitment to developing the next generation of Para athletes and we are delighted that our country will be welcoming the best of Asia’s youth to the Central Asian region in four years’ time.”
The 2021 edition of the Asian Youth Para Games will take place in Bahrain from 2 – 6 December. An expected 800 young athletes from across Asia will compete in 9 sports. At the Closing Ceremony of the Games, NPC Uzbekistan will receive the APC flag from NPC Bahrain.
