Sports Federations, Clubs, Leagues, and Agents in Uzbekistan

Modern sport constitutes a complex system of social relations involving not only athletes and coaches, but also specialized organizational structures: federations, clubs, leagues, agents, competition organizers, educational and medical institutions, government authorities, and international sports organizations. The Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On Physical Culture and Sports” dated March 24, 2026 No. ZRU-1123 establishes a broad range of participants in the sports sector, including the Ministry of Sports, the National Olympic Committee, the National Paralympic Committee, sports federations, physical culture and sports organizations, athletes, coaches, referees, agents, participants, and spectators of sporting events.

Among these participants, sports federations/associations, sports clubs, sports leagues, and sports agents occupy a special position. They provide the institutional, organizational, and contractual framework for sporting activities. A federation is responsible for the development of a particular sport, a club for direct sporting activities and athlete training, a league for organizing professional competitions, and an agent for representing the interests of athletes, coaches, and clubs in contractual relations.

Sports Federations and Associations as Regulators of Sports

According to the Law, a sports federation/association is a non-governmental non-profit organization duly included in the Register of Sports Federations/Associations. Its principal purpose is to develop and promote one or more sports, organize and conduct sporting events, and select and recommend candidates for the national sports teams of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The legal nature of a sports federation is dual in character. On the one hand, it is a non-governmental non-profit organization and therefore a private-law and public-interest entity. On the other hand, it performs functions of public significance: developing a sport, organizing official competitions, participating in the formation of national teams, and representing the interests of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the international sports arena.

The Law provides that a sports federation/association carries out activities aimed at developing and promoting a particular sport, organizing and conducting sporting events, training athletes, and representing the interests of the Republic of Uzbekistan at international sports competitions and events. In addition, the federation organizes championships, cups, and other official competitions of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the relevant sports.

An important element of the legal status of federations is their inclusion in the Register of Sports Federations/Associations. The Register includes organizations that meet the established criteria: membership in an international sports organization, availability of rules governing the relevant sport, uniqueness of the organization’s name, the existence of distinctive features of the sport being developed, and the absence of another federation for the same sport in the Register. An exception is provided for federations entrusted with the development of a particular sport or sporting area by acts of the President or the Cabinet of Ministers.

Federations have the right to submit proposals for the inclusion of a sport or sports discipline in the Register of Sports, organize the participation of national teams of the Republic of Uzbekistan in international competitions, and receive financial and other assistance from sources not prohibited by law. At the same time, they are required to develop and promote the relevant sport, submit the rules of the sport in the state language, publish such rules on their official website, develop targeted programs, enter information on athletes, coaches, and competitions into the information system, submit reports, prevent discrimination and violence, and comply with anti-doping rules.

Thus, a sports federation is a key entity in sports governance at the level of a particular sport. Its activities combine public self-regulation, national sports representation, and elements of public oversight.

Sports Clubs as Primary Organizations of Sporting Activity

Under the Law, a sports club is established for the purpose of engaging in sporting activities, developing and promoting sports, and preparing athletes for competitions. It may be established regardless of departmental affiliation or form of ownership, either with or without legal entity status. Where a sports club is established as a legal entity, it is subject to state registration in accordance with the law.

From a legal perspective, a sports club is the organizational component of the sports system that is closest to the athlete. It is generally through the club that the training process, participation in competitions, conclusion of contracts with athletes and coaches, provision of sports equipment, and interaction with federations and leagues are carried out.

The Law also links sports clubs to the Register of Non-Governmental Physical Culture and Sports Organizations. This Register includes sports clubs, sports educational organizations, other legal entities and individual entrepreneurs engaged in physical culture and sports activities, as well as self-employed coaches. Persons included in the Register have the right to participate in official sporting competitions in their own name and to nominate candidates for the national sports teams of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

It follows that a sports club performs not only the internal function of training athletes, but also the external function of representation within the official sports system. Its legal capacity depends on its organizational form, state registration where it has legal entity status, and inclusion in the relevant sports Register.

Sports Leagues as Organizers of Professional Competitions

A sports league is established to organize, conduct, and manage sporting competitions. The Law permits the establishment of a sports league regardless of departmental affiliation or form of ownership, either with or without legal entity status. A league established as a legal entity is subject to state registration.

A distinctive feature of a sports league is its focus on professional sporting competitions. Unlike a sports federation, which is responsible for the development of a sport as a whole, a league performs a more specialized function — organizing and managing competitions. It approves the rules, provisions, and regulations governing the organization and conduct of professional sporting competitions. Such rules must be publicly available on the official website of the sports league and must comply with the law.

A sports league may be regarded as an organizational and commercial platform for professional sport. It is through the league that competition calendars, club participation regulations, athlete requirements, eligibility rules, commercial rights, broadcasting matters, advertising, sponsorship, and disciplinary liability are structured. At the same time, the Law expressly provides that the procedure governing the activities of sports leagues, as well as the procedure for organizing and conducting professional sporting competitions by sports leagues, shall be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

From a practical perspective, sports leagues may become an important instrument for the development of professional sport in Uzbekistan because they make it possible to separate the general development of a sport from the management of regular professional competitions. This is particularly important for team sports, commercial tournaments, club championships, and competitions requiring a stable regulatory and financial model.

Sports Agents as Contractual Intermediaries in Professional Sport

For the first time, the Law systematically defines the status of a sports agent. A sports agent is a person who acts on behalf of an athlete, coach, or sports club on a contractual basis, serves as an intermediary in the conclusion of contracts and transfer agreements, and monitors compliance with their terms.

The legal nature of a sports agent is contractual and representative. The agent is not a participant in a competition in the sporting sense, but nevertheless plays an important role in professional sport by assisting with the conclusion of contracts, transfer agreements, advertising and sponsorship agreements, and by protecting the economic interests of athletes, coaches, and clubs.

The Law provides that a sports agent has the right to conclude agency agreements with athletes, coaches, and sports clubs; act on a contractual basis in the name and interests of such persons; represent their interests in the conclusion of contracts; interact with sponsors and advertisers; and receive remuneration for representing the interests of athletes, coaches, and sports clubs.

The duties of a sports agent include knowing and complying with the rules, regulations, and provisions of international sports organizations, the rules of the relevant sports, and the rules governing sporting competitions. In addition, the agent is required to monitor and safeguard the rights and legitimate interests of athletes, coaches, and sports clubs in accordance with the contracts concluded.

The importance of sports agents increases significantly as sport becomes increasingly professionalized. An agent may participate in negotiations concerning salaries, bonuses, transfers, image rights, advertising contracts, contract termination conditions, compensation, and other matters. Accordingly, further subordinate legislation governing sports agents should establish requirements relating to professional competence, conflicts of interest, the form of agency agreements, limits on remuneration, and liability toward clients.

Comparative Overview of Legal Status

Entity	Principal Legal Nature	Key Function	Primary Area of Activity
Sports federation / association	Non-governmental non-profit organization included in the Register	Development and promotion of a sport, organization of official competitions, participation in the formation of national teams	Sport / sports discipline
Sports club	Organization or association with or without legal entity status	Sporting activities, athlete training, participation in competitions	Athletes, teams, training process
Sports league	Organizational structure with or without legal entity status	Organization, conduct, and management of professional competitions	Professional sporting competition
Sports agent	Contractual representative / intermediary	Representation of athletes, coaches, and clubs in the conclusion of contracts and transfer agreements	Contracts, transfers, sponsorship, and advertising relations

 

Rights and Obligations of Sports Organizations

Entity	Rights	Obligations
Sports federations / associations	1. Submit proposals for the inclusion of a sport or sports discipline in the Register of Sports. 2. Organize the participation of national teams of the Republic of Uzbekistan in international sporting competitions in the relevant sport. 3. Receive financial and other assistance for the development of the sport from sources not prohibited by law. 4. Exercise other rights in accordance with the law.	1. Take measures to develop and promote the relevant sport. 2. Submit the rules governing the relevant sport in the state language to the authorized state body and publish them on the official website. 3. Develop comprehensive targeted programs for the development of the sport. 4. Enter information on athletes, coaches, and competitions into the information system. 5. Submit reports on measures taken to develop and promote the sport. 6. Submit proposals concerning the formation of national sports teams and the calendar plan of sports and mass physical culture events. 7. Prevent discrimination and violence in sport. 8. Take measures to prevent and combat doping.
Sports clubs	1. Be established for sporting activities, development and promotion of sports, and preparation of athletes for competitions. 2. Be established regardless of departmental affiliation or form of ownership. 3. Be established with or without legal entity status. 4. If included in the Register of Non-Governmental Physical Culture and Sports Organizations, participate in official sporting competitions in their own name. 5. If included in the Register, nominate candidates for the national sports teams of the Republic of Uzbekistan.	1. If established with legal entity status, undergo state registration. 2. When carrying out activities in the field of physical culture and sports, operate in accordance with the law. 3. If included in the Register of Non-Governmental Physical Culture and Sports Organizations, comply with the procedure for formation, maintenance of, and removal from such Register as determined by the Cabinet of Ministers. 4. In relations with sports organizations of foreign states, the club, as a physical culture and sports organization, must be guided by the rules of international sports organizations and international treaties of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Sports leagues	1. Be established to organize, conduct, and manage sporting competitions. 2. Be established regardless of departmental affiliation or form of ownership. 3. Be established with or without legal entity status. 4. Approve rules, provisions, or regulations governing the organization and conduct of professional sporting competitions. 5. Organize and conduct professional sporting competitions in the relevant sport in accordance with the procedure established by law.	1. If established with legal entity status, undergo state registration. 2. Rules, provisions, or regulations governing professional sporting competitions must comply with the law. 3. Such rules, provisions, or regulations must be published as publicly available information on the official website of the sports league. 4. The activities of sports leagues and the organization of professional competitions must be carried out in accordance with the procedure determined by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan.