Rugby union in Uzbekistan
Encyclopedia
Soviet Period
Rugby union was played in the Russian Empire as early as in 1908. In 1934 the Moscow Championship was started, and in 1936 the first Soviet Championship took place.In 1949, rugby union was forbidden in the USSR during the "fight against the cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all human ethnic groups belong to a single community based on a shared morality. This is contrasted with communitarian and particularistic theories, especially the ideas of patriotism and nationalism...
". The competitions were resumed in 1957, and the Soviet Championship in 1966. In 1975 the Soviet national team
Soviet Union national rugby union team
The USSR national rugby union team was a sporting side that represented the Soviet Union in rugby union until the early 1990s.-History:Although such tournaments as the Soviet Cup and the Soviet Championship existed, rugby never became a major sport in the USSR...
played their first match.
In 1962, rugby in Uzbekistan underwent a major expansion as four new teams were founded.
Uzbekistan had its own rugby team in the USSR, but it was not treated as a proper national side.
Post-independence
Uzbek rugby, like that of KyrgyzstanRugby union in Kyrgyzstan
-Soviet Period:Rugby union was played in the Russian Empire as early as in 1908. In 1934 the Moscow Championship was started, and in 1936 the first Soviet Championship took place....
is mainly confined to the military and universities, although there is a schools programme underway. Kazakhstan has been a major impetus for rugby growth in the region (Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
had a team in the Soviet league, and they also have a formidable women's team), and has been a major factor in keeping the game going in its neighbouring countries. For years, most of Uzbekistan's games, formal, or informal were against , or Kazakh domestic sides.
Currently they take part in the Central Asian region of the Asian Five Nations
Asian Five Nations
The Asian Five Nations, known as the HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to its sponsorship by HSBC, is an annual international rugby union competition held between the top five Asian national rugby sides...
.