But for all those who do not yet know Tashkent, a few details will give you some ideas. First of all, because the city deserves the detour, but it also deserves that we get interested in its history with world judo. This most recent story dates back only a few months to last October when Tashkent hosted the world championships, prior to the next edition, which will take place in Qatar in May.
For eight days the creme de la creme of world judo competed to win the title which represents the culmination of a life as a top athlete. Trained by Ilias Iliadis, two Uzbek athletes, Davlat Bobonov (-90kg) and Muzaffarbek Turoboyev (-100kg), won the holy grail and instantly became national heroes. They were not the first though, since before them there was Rishod Sobirov, world champion in 2010 and 2011 at -60kg.
When you know that it takes years to build a world champion, it is easy to understand that Uzbekistan and judo already have a long history in common. This is reinforced when we take a look at the results obtained by local judoka on the world circuit through the years. It would take pages and pages to summarise all those results.
As we said, Tashkent has thus become a must-see destination for every judoka and what is great with our WJT is that it gives you an opportunity to discover a city, a country and a culture that is worth the detour.
Tachkent or Toshkent, historically known as Chach, is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan and is by far the Central Asian city with the biggest population, getting close to 3 million inhabitants in 2023. Located in the north-eastern part of the country, close to Kazakhstan, Tashkent literally means the ‘Stone City’ or ‘City of Stones.’
Throughout its history, which dates back 2200 years, Tashkent was at the crossroads of several cultures. This built the city's multiethnic identity of today, which is visible when wandering through the streets.
It is interesting to draw a parallel between the history of the city and that of judo in the country. Today the sport in Uzbekistan is the result of years of different influences, from ancient style wrestling to the modern time. Judo here has input from the judo practised in the Soviet Union until the 80s and then from coaches from all over the world who were happy to find in Uzbekistan an incredible fighting spirit. This ability to welcome people and make them feel at home helped to build a powerful machine that brings athletes to the top of the world. Even if this already looks like an old story, this is only the beginning of a longer history in the making.
If now, you are asked about Tashkent, you have no excuse. You have to know the city, the country and how judo has become a major player here.