The Uzbekistan Football Association reported that the coaching staff of the national football team of Uzbekistan, led by head coach Fabio Cannavaro, has been reinforced. A physiotherapist, Silvano Cotti, and a sports dietitian, Andrea Giuliano, have been added to the squad.
Silvano Cotti possesses significant international work experience. Over the past years, he served as a physiotherapist for the Italian national team, as well as for the football clubs Inter, Milan, Chelsea, and Roma. Additionally, he worked with the Chinese national team.
Andrea Giuliano is a biologist and dietitian specializing in sports nutrition. In his professional career, he collaborated with the Italian club Udinese and the Swiss U-21 national team.
The new specialists will participate in the preparation of the Uzbekistan national team, monitoring the physical condition and recovery of players, as well as handling sports nutrition matters.
The Uzbekistan Weightlifting Federation has officially presented the national team for participation in the XX Asian Games in the summer of 2026, which will consist of six Uzbek athletes.
In the men's category, Uzbekistan will send five weightlifters. Among them, Adhamjon Ergashev will compete in the under 65 kg category, and Diyorbek Ruzmetov will compete in the under 75 kg category. Hasanboy Berdiev is registered in the under 85 kg category, and Mukhammadkodir Toshtemirov will compete in the under 95 kg category. Olympic champion Akbar Jurayev will participate in the under 110 kg category.
In the women's category, Uzbekistan will be represented by Nigora Abdullaeva, who will compete in the under 53 kg category. Thus, the total composition of the national weightlifting team for the Asian Games includes five men and one woman.
The XX Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will take place in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
Uzbekistan is increasing international interaction in the field of customs dog services. Within the framework of the VII Global Forum on Canine Services of the World Customs Organization, held in Tashkent, representatives of Uzbekistan's customs authorities held negotiations with colleagues from South Korea, Russia, Armenia, and Hungary.
One of the central issues was the further development of cooperation with the customs service of the Republic of Korea. Specialists from the dog centers of both countries discussed improving existing agreements and the possibility of exchanging professional experience. The Korean side also expressed interest in guide dogs trained by the National Dog Center of Uzbekistan and proposed considering the purchase of about 10 such dogs.
Cooperation between the two countries in this area has already yielded tangible results: from 2023 to 2025, the National Dog Center of Uzbekistan exported 12 trained service dogs to the customs service of the Republic of Korea.
Furthermore, a separate memorandum of understanding was signed between the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan and the canine unit of the Federal Customs Service of Russia. This document defines the main directions of interaction between the parties at the current stage and in the future.
In addition, the Uzbek side concluded bilateral memorandums of cooperation with the dog-handling services of the customs authorities of Armenia and Hungary. These agreements provide for the development of canine units, the exchange of best practices and modern approaches, training of service dogs, as well as joint work to improve specialists' qualifications.
The VII Global Forum on Canine Services of the World Customs Organization is taking place in Tashkent from September 7 to 9. Russia is participating in the event for the first time. Representatives of customs services from more than 50 countries are discussing current issues in the field of canine services, customs security, specialist training, education, and the use of guide dogs.
