Today in the conference hall of the Agency of Information and Mass Communications, a press-briefing was held with the participation of representatives of the Foundation. The Speakers spoke about the upcoming half marathon and the educational and cultural program that await all participants and spectators of the Samarkand Half Marathon from November 1 until 3.
The main goal of the Samarkand Half Marathon project is to draw public attention to the problem of accessibility and inclusiveness of cultural and art venues, as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle and developing sports tourism in Uzbekistan. Both can be experienced at this site, and even novice runners can take part in the half marathon and distances of 21 km, 10 km and 2 km are provided. Registration for the Samarkand half marathon for all three distances will last until October 20.
The income from the half marathon will be used to implement a pilot project in one of the theatres in Tashkent. This program involves performance on the stage of the theatre, using audio description. For this, the necessary equipment will be purchased, as well as the training of specialists will be organized.
In preparation for the half marathon, the Art and Culture Development Foundation of the Republic of Uzbekistan will conduct a study on the problem of inclusion: there will be pilot-monitoring the availability of theatres, museums, parks, as well as other cultural institutions of Tashkent for people with disabilities and people with limited mobility. In addition, training will be held on inclusiveness and accessibility for employees of these institutions. The results of the study will be presented in the form of a report as part of the educational program of the half marathon.
The entire program of the half marathon and registration is available on the project's website:
Mirkhan Sagitov, facilitator of the Samarkand Half Marathon project:
"As a participant in many marathons and half marathons held abroad, I can confidently say that the half marathon route in Samarkand will be one of the most beautiful and exciting from a sports point of view. Throughout the marathon, participants will see all the principal attractions of the city - the half marathon itself will begin next to the famous Registan Square. The half marathon will be certified by the International Association of Athletics Federation, IAAF, and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, AIMS.
“All participants of the race, who finish the marathon on time for each distance, will receive commemorative medals of the finishers. Moreover, each registered participant will receive a race t-shirt, branded bag, and a number with a tracker that will allow getting the exact finish time. A prize fund has been established for the winners: men and women in the standings from 1st to 3rd place will be awarded with a cash prize. More information about prizes and the event's rules can be found on our website.
“Consultation in the organization of our event will be carried out by the international company ‘Russia Running,’ which includes specialists with significant experience in organizing modern running events. The entire team of organizers of the half marathon is working to provide maximum service and comfortable conditions for the participants of the race. We want every member to get the most out of the Samarkand Half Marathon. For those who live in Tashkent and would like to prepare for the race, we conduct free training - on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We invite you to participate in them too. All information is on our pages on social networks."
Madina Badalova, Head of the Department of Education Development in the Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture:
"This is the first charity event of this scale in our country. In addition to the race itself, we plan to hold several cultural events in Samarkand, and most importantly - we have a big goal. It is about attracting public attention to the problem of inclusion at cultural sites. Our Fund has initiated a long-term program aimed at the modernization of cultural facilities of Uzbekistan. To begin with, we conduct monitoring and training in institutions in the city of Tashkent. The results of this study will be published on the Internet and presented as a report as part of the educational program of the half marathon.
“The Fund continues to cooperate with the ‘Garage’ Museum of Modern Art - our Russian colleagues will conduct workshops and lectures on the international experience in creating an inclusive environment at cultural institutions. Additionally, as part of the half marathon, we began to cooperate with another vital organization - the "Beat Films" film festival. The facilitators of the festival will give a lecture in Samarkand on how they created an independent cultural institution at the international level, and will show two documentaries. One of these films—Free Solo—won the Academy Award this year."
Furqat Palvan-Zade, facilitator of external communications and cultural program of the Samarkand Half Marathon:
“This is my first project in Uzbekistan. I hope that this race will be held every year in Samarkand and will become an important component of urban culture. To work on the Samarkand Half Marathon, we attracted specialists from Uzbekistan, Russia, Georgia and other countries - so we got a real cultural exchange. We are now finalizing all the components of the half-marathon program, and we are preparing the exact schedule of lectures, workshops and film screenings. Artists from Uzbekistan, Finland, Germany, Turkey and Russia will take part in the musical component of the program. We will report all the details on our website and in our social networks. Register for the race and call your friends to Samarkand. It will be fascinating! ”
Samarkand Half Marathon Cultural Program
Documentary film. Beat Films festival
Free Solo
Winner of the Oscar for 2019. The film is about the exploits of Alex Honnold, the first person to climb a 2000-meter vertical mountain known as El Capitan without any help, located in Yosemite National Park in the United States.
Free to Run
Few people remember this today, but 50 years ago ordinary runners had to be rebels - there was no official place for women or amateurs in this sport. All, of course, changed in the 60s, the time of the struggle for rights on all fronts. With this background, Free to Run tells the history of running as the story of a significant social movement - from romantic provocations to creating an industry of considerable size.
Music program
Ya Tosiba (Finland)
One of the few projects that organically combine traditional singing and modern music. Azerbaijani poems and Finnish electronic live music.
Baris K (Turkey)
The leading music collector from Turkey will present a DJ-set consisting of Middle Eastern songs written in the 20th century. The best music for a city event on Registan Square.
Simple Symmetry (Russia)
The music of the Lipsky brothers from Moscow combines ethnic rhythms, instrumental elements and the atmosphere of Asia and Africa. The final chord in our evening program on November 2.
Farkhod kori Halimov, Toir Koziev and others (Uzbekistan)
The real guardians of traditional Uzbek music will perform right after the November 3 race - Bukharian singing in the Shashmaqom genre and Sato’s amazing string instrument.
Inclusion on cultural sites. Garage Museum Program
Alexandra Filippovskaya, “Models for understanding disability: medical and social concepts”
Alina Zhekamukhova, “People with intellectual development: specifics of perception”
Ekaterina Barsukova, “Universal Design”
Website of Samarkand Half Marathon
#samarkandhalfmarathon
Samarkand Half Marathon organizer:
Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan
General partners:
The State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Tourism Development
Khokimiat of Samarkand region
Partners:
Beat Films
Russia Running
Befit
Project Sponsors:
National Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan
JSC "Uzbekistan Temir Yollari"
“UMS” LLC
“UCELL” LLC
Fashion store chain “Red Tag”
“Uzpromstroybank”
Joint Stock Commercial Bank "Asaka"
PJSCB “Orient Finans”
JSC "MAXAM-CHIRCHIQ"
“Hamkor Bank”
“Davr Bank”
Joint Stock Commercial Bank “Kapitalbank”
“Turon Bank”
Supermarket chain “Makro”
Infopartners:
Afisha.oz
“The Mag” Magazine
Oriat FM
