On October 13, at the Inno innovation technopark, members of the Uzbekistan national team, who won the FIRST Global Challenge — 2026 international robotics competition, as well as their coaches, were awarded. On the same day, the country's president signed a decree on awarding the team. The awards were presented by First Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Education and Science Erkinjon Turdimov, Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov, and Director of the Youth Affairs Agency Alisher Sadullaev.
The competitions were held on October 7–10 in Incheon, South Korea, with the participation of youth teams from almost 190 countries. The Uzbekistan national team won all 16 matches, scored a record 637 points, and received three gold medals. One of them was won by the team as part of an alliance with Venezuela, El Salvador, and Moldova, which won the final and received the status of Winning Alliance. The team also received another award for the best tournament result — the FIRST Global Grand Challenge Award.
Erkinjon Turdimov emphasized that the successes of youth in science and technology are important for the future of the country. FIRST Global popularizes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics among schoolchildren and young people. In 2026, participants performed robotics tasks under the motto “Igniting Innovation,” solving problems related to preventing forest fires, reducing their consequences, and restoring affected areas.