Uzbekistan: Kurash Belt‑Wrestling Bow, Drills & Bouts

tl;dr

Teams in Uzbekistan can try kurash on a gilam on an opt‑in basis with clear safety, consent, and inclusion protocols. It is stand‑up belt wrestling with a bow, quick grip and footwork drills, and short, safe practice bouts under kurash rules. People rotate partners or choose non‑contact roles, thank each other, and name a move of the day. The rules are simple and used in many countries, so newcomers and expats can join fast with same‑gender pairing and modest attire options available on request.

Context

Across many Uzbek institutions and communities, kurash, a stand‑up belt wrestling style contested on a round mat called a gilam, remains a living emblem of fair play and mutual respect, and this chapter uses Uzbek Latin spellings for terms such as ta’zim, halol, yonbosh, to‘xta, gilam, and polvon. In modern competition, referees use Uzbek terms like ta’zim (a bow of respect), halol (a full‑point throw), and yonbosh (a half‑score), and commands such as to‘xta! (stop), vocabulary that has now traveled far beyond the country’s borders via continental events and media. *

Once mainly a festival spectacle with regional variations, kurash has become a codified international sport with Uzbekistan as its anchor, and local debates continue about modernization and women’s participation in sport and workplace settings. The International Kurash Association (IKA) was founded in Tashkent in 1998, and kurash is now on the Asian Games program: proof that the etiquette and technique honed on Uzbek gilams resonate with teams from Jakarta to Hangzhou. * *

Meet the Company/Cultural Tradition

When Uzbekistan’s leadership moved to professionalize and popularize its national sport, they did something unusual: they invited public servants themselves to get on the mat. In 2020, policy makers created “Uzbek Polvon,” an annual kurash competition for employees of state bodies, institutions, and organizations, explicitly linking workplace culture with a uniquely Uzbek sport. *

The idea quickly took root. By 2024, the IKA’s “Kurash Week” in Tashkent featured two workplace‑centered tournaments: the countrywide Uzbek Polvon for employees from over 100 state bodies and a separate Prosecutors’ Polvon for the Office of the Prosecutor General and regional teams, as reported by organizers. These events are framed not as elite sport but as culture-building, explicitly celebrating honesty, courage, and collegiality as much as athletic skill. * *

Institutional scaffolding sustains the ritual. Uzbekistan’s National Kurash Federation maintains the rules, venues, and calendar, while the IKA, headquartered in Tashkent, convenes conferences and training that feed a global network reported by IKA to include federations in well over 100 countries. HR chiefs in ministries can thus offer opt‑in access to a mature system—local gilams and coaches, clear safety norms, and proud tradition—while prohibiting managers from compelling participation and providing equivalent non‑contact roles. * *

The Ritual

Stage	What Happens on the Gilam	Purpose
Belt & bow	Partners knot the wide fabric belts, face each other, and exchange ta’zim (bow)	Signal mutual respect; switch from desk mode to dojo mindset
Grip & footwork drills (5 min)	Coaches cue legal grips and sweeps; no groundwork in kurash	Shared technique = shared language; safe warm‑up
Short bouts (3–4 min)	Light randori under kurash rules; referee calls “tukhta” (stop), scores halol/yambosh	Friendly competition; quick dopamine hit; clear closure cycles
Team rotation	Pairs switch across departments (finance vs. legal, HR vs. IT)	Cross‑silo bonding; reduce hierarchy through equal rules
Close & gratitude	Final ta’zim; captain names a “move of the day”; photo on the gilam	Recognition; narrative memory; evidence for internal comms

(Teams typically run this 30–40 minute session on-site once mats are available, with 8–16 participants per mat and roughly one certified coach per eight people, and may ramp up frequency ahead of Uzbek Polvon or sector cups like Prosecutors’ Polvon.) * * *

Why It Works

Kurash can be conducted with a strong safety profile when run under official rules and oversight: it is stand‑up only (no groundwork, chokes, joint locks, or leg grabs, with leg and foot sweeps allowed per the rules), with time‑boxed bouts and an etiquette that begins and ends with ta’zim. As a simple mechanism chain, ta’zim and shared rules prime group identity and norms, synchronized grip and footwork drills build coordination, short bouts provide safe arousal and competence signals, and rotation fosters bridging ties that can support collaboration. When colleagues feel their belts tighten and hear a referee call halol (a full‑point score in kurash, not a reference to dietary law), they experience a visceral, rule‑bound win that can translate to workplace norms like fairness and focus. *

The ritual can carry national pride without excluding outsiders when it is offered as opt‑in with non‑contact alternatives and clear privacy safeguards. Because kurash vocabulary and judging standards are now used across Asia, including at the Asian Games, expat staff and partners can learn the basics quickly. That makes the gilam a distinctive space where many global teams in Tashkent can practice an authentically Uzbek tradition without relying on religion or holiday‑specific customs. *

Outcomes & Impact

Participation is broad. In 2024 the Uzbek Polvon brought employees from over 100 state bodies and organizations onto the mat, turning a national sport into interagency camaraderie, according to organizers. The dedicated Prosecutors’ Polvon gathered roughly 100 athletes from the Prosecutor General’s Office and regions, evidence that units are building real teams rather than sending a token pair, according to organizers. * *

The external halo is real, too. With the IKA anchored in Tashkent and workshops training referees and coaches from at least 18 countries as reported by organizers, ministries can showcase Uzbekistan’s soft power when a workplace kurash video hits social feeds. Inside the office, participating teams have reported perceived improvements in cross‑department collaboration in the weeks following shared gilam sessions, which you can test by tracking cross‑team tickets resolved per week and handoff defects per sprint while keeping individual data anonymous. * *

Lessons for Global Team Leaders

Principle	Why It Matters	How to Translate
Use a uniquely local sport	Authentic rituals stick and signal respect for culture	In Uzbekistan, choose kurash; elsewhere, find the safe, codified local discipline
Ritualize respect	Ta’zim brackets competition with courtesy	Begin and end with a bow or handshake; name a “move of the day”
Keep it safe and simple	Stand‑up only rules reduce injury risk	Adopt kurash’s no‑groundwork, short‑bout format
Flatten hierarchy	Uniforms and belts erase titles	Mix pairs across ranks; rotate captains and referees
Tie to public events	A shared target focuses practice	Aim sessions toward an internal cup or join sector tournaments like Uzbek Polvoni

Implementation Playbook

1. Partner with the local Kurash Federation or a certified coach to source mats (gilam), belts, and a referee, and complete an HSE/Legal review covering insurer clearance, emergency plan, first‑aid coverage, mat standards (e.g., training mats of appropriate thickness and non‑slip surface), optional approved protective equipment, sanitation, hydration/heat policy, and fair compensation and credit for local clubs. *
2. Publish a one‑page safety and consent sheet: stand‑up only, prohibited techniques (no groundwork, chokes, joint locks, or leg grabs), bout length and to‘xta stop call, medical self‑check and exclusion for pregnancy/recent injury, size/experience‑based pairing, same‑gender pairing on request, leaders do not bout with direct reports and do not referee matches involving them, certified coach/referee and on‑site first aider, and incident reporting. *
3. Start with an opt‑in pilot over six weeks with weekly 30–40 minute sessions for two to four teams during paid hours, with an accessible venue, a remote‑friendly non‑contact alternative (etiquette micro‑ritual, footwork and resistance‑band grip drills, and a refereeing clinic), scheduling considerate of prayer/holiday times and caregiving windows, same‑gender or women‑only options, and a named owner/facilitator/comms and data steward plus a simple estimated cost per participant.
4. Use opt‑in recognition that is team‑level or anonymized and effort‑focused (e.g., participation streaks or sportsmanship notes), and avoid individual leaderboards to reduce social pressure.
5. Build toward a date: stage an internal cup, or enter agency teams in Uzbek Polvon or sector tournaments after confirming opt‑in consent and insurer clearance. * *
6. Capture and share highlights on the intranet only with written opt‑in media consent, no default tagging, face‑blurring on request, stated purpose and access limits, and a default retention period of 90 days or per local policy, and include credit to the National Kurash Federation/IKA in communications.
7. Review after six weeks using anonymous feedback on safety, inclusion, and cross‑team ties plus pre/post short scales (e.g., psychological safety and team identification), track opt‑in rate, near‑miss/injury count, and cross‑team help requests, and set stop rules and a return‑to‑work protocol based on the incident log.

Common Pitfalls

• Treating kurash like general gym time; the power is in the shared etiquette and rules.
• Skipping certified oversight; even safe sports need a referee and a coach.
• Letting only “sporty” employees join; design a welcoming on‑ramp for novices.

Reflection & Call to Action

Rituals bind when they are embodied, local, and repeatable. Workplace kurash often checks all three boxes in Uzbekistan when designed with consent and inclusion: it is recognizably Uzbek, it encodes fairness directly into the activity, and it turns colleagues into respectful rivals who bow to each other before and after every exchange. Whether you run a ministry in Tashkent or a regional office in Samarkand, a gilam on the floor can help build trust more effectively than another memo on values when it is voluntary, well‑supervised, and safe. * *

If your team already uses the language of halol and ta’zim on the mat, be clear that in kurash halol means a full point and consider saying “full point” or “fair score” in meetings to avoid confusion, while keeping mutual bows to start and end. If not, consider a small opt‑in pilot after a risk and legal review. Book a coach, roll out a gilam, and let a very Uzbek code of conduct become your culture’s muscle memory by following consent‑based participation, safety protocols, and non‑contact alternatives. *

References

• “The competition ‘Uzbek polvoni’ to be held among employees of state bodies.”
• “The winners of the Republican tournament ‘Uzbek polvon’ have been determined.”
• “Prosecutors competed in the Kurash arena.”
• “Uzbekistan national team secures first place at Asian Kurash Championship.”
• “Kurash at the Asian Games.”
• “Qualified specialists will ensure the development of kurash at the international level.”
• “Uzbekistan — Kurash Federation contact (KCAO).”
• Kurash rules – IKA (official competition rules: ta’zim, Tokhta/Vakt commands, scoring terms Halol/Yonbosh/Chala; stand‑up only).
• Olympic Council of Asia – Kurash at the 19th Asian Games (official schedule/results).
• ANOC summary of OCA decision – 2026 Asian Games sports programme (combat sports include jiu‑jitsu, kurash, MMA).
• International Kurash Association – Contact (headquarters address: 70A Bakhor St., Tashkent).
• Kurash Federation of Uzbekistan (official site; contacts, coaches, national calendar).
• International Kurash Institute – Special master‑class for Japan’s kurash team (organized training camp).
• Kurash Week in Tashkent – IKA (includes Uzbek Polvoni and Prosecutor’s Polvoni workplace tournaments).