Uzbekistan Olympic Committee marks Landlocked Developing Countries Awareness Day

As one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, Uzbekistan understands these challenges more acutely than almost any other nation.  

“Being a doubly landlocked country has shaped who we are – and we wear that with pride,” said Otabek Umarov, First Vice-President of the NOC of Uzbekistan and Vice-President of the Olympic Council of Asia. “Geography has never defined our ambition. Sport has become one of our most powerful tools for connecting Uzbekistan to the world, inspiring our young people and showing what this country is truly capable of.” 

Sport has proven to be a transformative force in addressing the complexities of needing to cross multiple international borders to reach the sea, including greater distances and costs. 

Uzbekistan's finish of 13th on the medal table at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games demonstrated that geography is no barrier to excellence. 

The country's historic qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026, making Uzbekistan the first Central Asian nation to reach the tournament, provided a global platform that no coastline could have delivered more powerfully. 

The opening of Olympic City in Tashkent – the largest sports complex in Central Asia, spanning nearly 100 hectares – has further accelerated this progress, bringing world-class infrastructure and international events to the heart of the continent. In 2026 alone, Uzbekistan is hosting the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, the World Judo Junior Championships and many more international sports events. 

With 60 percent of Uzbekistan's 38 million population under the age of 30, sport has been designated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as a national priority alongside education and healthcare – a recognition that active, healthy young people are the foundation of a thriving landlocked nation's future. 

International Day of Awareness of the Special Development Needs and Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries is observed annually on 6 August. There are 32 landlocked developing countries recognised by the United Nations – Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are the world's only doubly landlocked countries.