President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan has awarded the country’s Dustlik (Friendship) Order to Nenad Lalović, President of United World Wrestling, for his contribution to the development of mass sport and support for martial arts in Uzbekistan.

Lalović received the state honour during an official visit to Tashkent, where he met President Mirziyoyev to discuss expanding cooperation between UWW and Uzbekistan’s sports authorities, the presidential press service reported.

The talks focused on strengthening wrestling infrastructure, promoting traditional martial arts such as kurash and mixed martial arts, and establishing a Regional Wrestling Academy in Uzbekistan under the UWW framework. Both sides also agreed to deepen collaboration in sports medicine, psychology, and athlete nutrition.

President Mirziyoyev described Lalović as “a true friend of Uzbekistan who has made a strong contribution to the global development of wrestling.”

With this award, Lalović becomes the fourth international sports figure to receive the Dustlik Order, following Marius Vizer, President of the International Judo Federation; Sherzod Tashmatov, Vice President of the Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee; and Mirabror Usmonov, the late President of the Uzbekistan Football Federation and former NOC chief.

Uzbekistan has recently achieved notable success in wrestling. Its Greco-Roman team ranks among the world’s top three, and at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Razambek Jamalov claimed gold in the freestyle 74kg category, ending the nation’s 20-year wait for an Olympic wrestling title.

President Mirziyoyev praised these results as a reflection of Uzbekistan’s growing sporting ambitions and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to investing in modern training facilities and youth development programs.

The Dustlik Order is one of Uzbekistan’s highest state honours, awarded to citizens and foreign nationals who have made outstanding contributions to strengthening friendship and international cooperation.