Uzbekistan (UZB)

From 1952 to 1988, many Uzbek athletes for the Soviet Union, and Uzbek athletes were present at Barcelona and Albertville in 1992 as members of the Unified Team. During this time the most successful Uzbeks were the volleyballer Vera Galushka-Duyunova (two gold in 1968 and 1972), the gymnasts Elvira Saadi (two gold in 1972 and 1976), Galina Shamray (one gold and one silver in 1952), and Sergey Diomidov (two silver and one bronze in 1964 and 1968), as well as the equestrian rider Yury Kovshov, who won one gold and one silver in 1980.

The Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee was established on 21 January 1992 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in September 1993 at the IOC Session in Monte Carlo. As an independent nation, Uzbekistan has competed at all Olympic Games since 1996.

Through 2022, Uzbekistan has won a total of 37 Olympic medals, 11 of them gold. Super-heavyweight freestyle wrestler Artur Taymazov won a silver and a gold medal in 2000 and 2004, respectively. He also won medals in 2008 and 2012, but these were removed because of later revealed doping offenses. Only one other Uzbekistani has more medals than Taymazov: judoka Rishod Sobirov won three consecutive bronze medals, in the extra-lightweight category (2008 and 2012) and in the half-lightweight class (2016).

Uzbekistan has competed at all Olympic Winter Games since 1994. Lina Cheryazova won a gold medal in 1994 freestyle skiing aerials, the only medal won by Uzbekistan to date at the Olympic Winter Games. Shortly after her gold medal, in the summer of 1994, Cheryazova fractured her skull during training and was in a coma for more than a month. After more than a year of recovery, Cheryazova returned to sport in the autumn of 1995, but never returned to her previous level. After another injury sustained after the 1998 Olympic Winter Games, she retired from sports.

In seven appearances, Uzbekistan has had 22 Winter Olympians, 12 men and 10 women. In addition to Cheryazova’s gold medal, figure skater Tatyana Malinina finished eighth in the women’s event in 1998.