Uzbekistan may not be the first country you think of when you talk about triathlon, yet the country’s first women’s triathlon team was established there in late 2020. Yelena Kun, Secretary General of the Uzbekistan Triathlon Federation, started the team to remain connected virtually, motivating and supporting one another to keep active with indoor training sessions, World Triathlon reports. “
We are doing our best to change the current situation and involve women with different backgrounds into our sport,” the federation told World Triathlon in an interview. “We see that our club has dramatically changed the overall situation with a positive attitude, encouraging a healthy lifestyle among women. They participate in every class with great motivation and gratitude. Club members show off their first achievements in distances and the associated health and fitness benefits.”
“Many women have hesitation to take the first step towards sports, expanding horizons and boundaries because they are afraid of breaking outdated societal expectations. Keeping this in mind, Yelena Kun, our General Secretary, decided to initiate the first-ever Women’s Tri Club firstly in Kazakhstan and in October 2020 the club was launched in Uzbekistan. This project provides access to every woman regardless of her social status, religion, age, physical capabilities or background. The mission of the project is to give women equal opportunities. We want to provide a chance for every woman to become successful through the prism of sports.”
