Festival Poisoning Sickens 19 Young Athletes
Seventeen participants, including 11 children, are being treated in Tashkent in stable condition after the Dostlik Cup 2026 festival.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Allergies
Nineteen participants in the Dostlik Cup 2026 football festival traveling from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, sought medical help in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Seventeen people, including 11 children and six adults, are being treated at Tashkent City Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital No. 5 and are reported to be in stable condition.
Why it matters
Suspected poisoning is the reported cause of the illness, which affects a group of young athletes and their families traveling across borders for a sporting event. The case shows how a mass-gathering event can quickly turn into a multi-person medical response requiring coordination between health authorities in two countries.
The figures come from reported hospital treatment counts at Tashkent City Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital No. 5 and statements from health officials in both countries. No formal study design or comparator data is available, and the suspected poisoning has not been confirmed or traced to a specific source.
The players
Tashkent City Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital No. 5
A Tashkent hospital treating the affected participants.
Tashkent Medical University
A medical university whose professors are assisting with the treatment of those affected.
Akmaral Alnazarova
Kazakhstan's Health Minister personally supervising the response to the illnesses.
Otabek Imamov
Uzbekistan's First Deputy Health Minister personally supervising the response to the illnesses.
The details
Health officials report that the affected participants developed illness after attending the Dostlik Cup 2026 football festival, and suspected poisoning is the reported cause. Professors from Tashkent Medical University and specialists from Uzbekistan's Sanitary and Epidemiological Service are assisting with treatment and investigation. Kazakhstan's Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova and Uzbekistan's First Deputy Health Minister Otabek Imamov are personally supervising the situation, and the festival organisers are providing support to those affected.
Timeline
The Dostlik Cup 2026 international football festival took place in 2026, when the participants traveled from Karaganda.
Health Landscape
Clusters of illness among people attending large sporting events are a recurring public health concern because crowds, shared food and travel can concentrate exposures. Responses typically involve coordinated hospital care and sanitary investigation to identify the source and prevent further cases.
If you are traveling to a large public event, pay attention to food and drink safety and seek medical care promptly if you develop unexplained nausea, vomiting or other symptoms after attending. Parents of children who attended such events should watch for similar symptoms and share the timing and location of exposure with a clinician.
The takeaway
Clusters of illness after mass gatherings are a reminder that shared food and crowded venues can expose many people at once. If you develop unexplained symptoms after a large event, tell your doctor where and when you were exposed so the cause can be investigated.
Further reading
For broader context on how bodies react to contaminants and sudden exposures, explore our Allergies coverage.
