DUSHANBE, September 20, Asia-Plus — Tajik juniors participating in the First Eurasian U-16 Sports Games have won their first one silver and two bronze medals.

This sports forum kicked off in Belarus’ Brest on September 19 and will run through September 22. 

Nargis Nabiyeva, the chairwoman of the sports and physical training department of the Committee for Youth Affairs, Sports and Tourism, said 54 athletes aged 14 to 15 have represented Tajikistan in the Sports Games. 

“They are competing with youth of the same age from Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, as well as Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine and Lithuania in eleven kinds of sports, including belt wrestling, which the only official traditional wrestling that is included in the program of the Games, judo, sambo (unarmed combat), free-style wrestling, volleyball, field hockey, boat racing, gymnastics and track and field athletics,” Nabiyeva said.

According to her, Tajik athletes have to date won one silver medal and one bronze medal in the free-style wrestling and one bronze medal in the track and field athletics. 

In all, more than 900 athletes from the mentioned countries are participating in this sports forum, Nargis Nabiyeva said.  

An initiative to conduct the sports competitions was launched by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during the summit meeting of the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) in Minsk.  After that, Belarus’ Ministry of Sport and Tourism proposed Brest as the capital of the First Eurasian U-16 Games.