Keldiyorova opens new school dojo

Judokas from every country look towards the greats of the sport for inspiration. But when a local hero breaks through and wins a major world title, it can really spark an interest in that sport, with more interest from the general public and more investment by the government.

This happened, for example in Kosovo, after Majlinda Kelmendi broke through and became its first Olympic champion of any sport in that country. And now, this has happened in Uzbekistan where Diyora Keldiyorova is its first Olympic champion of any sport in that country.
Her big win at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she took on and defeated such top players as Japan’s Uta Abe, France’s Amandine Buchard and Kosovo’s Distria Krasniqi, has sparked judo fever in Uzbekistan. And with eager government support, new dojos are cropping up all over the country.

The Uzbekistan Judo Federation has made an agreement with the country’s Ministry of Sport, the IJF and the Ministry of School and Pre-school to build dojos in schools in different regions around the country. There are 16 such school dojos already built with about 130,000 students across the country practicing judo.

Surge of interest in judo, together with strong government support, should see Uzbekistan grow into a judo powerhouse in the years to come.
In late February, a grand new dojo, named after Keldiyorova, was opened in School No. 17 in Tashkent. The ribbon cutting was done by the daughter of Uzbekistan’s President, Shahnoza Mirziyoyeva, alongside IJF President Marius Vizer and Uzbekistan Judo Federation President Azizjon Kamilov and of course, Keldiyorova herself.

Said Keldiyorova: “Having been training with the national team for the last few years, I’m looking forward to being here now with my husband Azamat Matyakubov and with my coach Nelly. They will coach judo here at our new club. We will see how many children come to do judo here and then perhaps we will need to take more coaches in the future. I’m looking forward to seeing judo grow here and throughout Uzbekistan.