The funds raised from Samarkand Half Marathon will be used to create an art studio in one of the boarding schools in Uzbekistan for children with autism.
The Foundation for the Development of Culture and Arts announced the opening of registration for the participants of the Samarkand Half Marathon.
Samarkand Half Marathon is an annual charity run organized by the Foundation together with the Ministry of Culture and the State Committee for Tourism Development, as well as the khokimiyat of the Samarkand region.
During the event, issues of creating an inclusive environment for people with autism and the possibility of their integration into the social, cultural and public life of the republic will be considered.
It is noted that the proceeds from the Samarkand Half Marathon are planned to be used to create an art studio in one of the boarding schools in Uzbekistan for children with autism.
“In connection with the difficult epidemiological situation in the world, the Samarkand Half Marathon program in 2020 implies holding the sports part of the event in two formats – a classic race in Samarkand and a virtual race for those who cannot come to Uzbekistan and take part in an offline race,” – reported in the release.
Participants in the virtual half marathon race will have complete freedom to choose a location and distance. The results will be recorded through the Strava app. The charity run starts on November 1st. This year, Nordic walking competitions have been added to the half marathon program.
In addition, a separate children’s race will be organized for children under 12 years old.
“As I have already noted, it is important to make the half marathon in Samarkand an annual event. And now, a year later, we are starting to work on a project that helps to solve important problems on the way to creating an accessible and inclusive environment,” said the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Chairman organizing committee of Samarkand Half Marathon Aziz Abdukhakimov.
“The Samarkand half marathon is one of the largest charitable projects that not only encourages us to lead an active lifestyle, but also draws public attention to such an urgent problem as the development of inclusiveness. Organizing projects to create an inclusive environment is an important task. We all have one the goal is to ensure full-fledged social integration and create equal conditions for every resident and guest of our country, “said Saida Mirziyoyeva, Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Public Fund for Support and Development of National Mass Media.
The event will also host educational and cultural programs that will be held in digital format. For parents of children with autism, representatives of the UK National Autistic Society will conduct online lectures, and experts from the British Museum will detail their Early Morning Explorers initiative.
In addition, with the support of the Russian “Friendly Environment” project, it is planned to organize a series of online discussions, webinars and master classes.