#AUYLSPORT Kicks Off in Kazakhstan: 12,000 Rural Children to Participate in Sports

In Almaty, with the support of the Halyk charity foundation, a presentation of the #AUYLSPORT project for the development of mass sports in rural areas was held.

The event was attended by famous athletes – silver medalist of the Paris Olympics Demeu Zhadrayev, silver medalist of the Beijing Olympics Nurbakhyt Tengizbayev and other famous sports representatives.

The main goal of the #AUYLSPORT project:

– Involving rural children and teenagers in sports;

– Popularization of sports and development of mass sports;

– Improving the qualifications of rural trainers and teaching new skills.

The project plans to cover 6 sports:

– boxing;

– Wrestling;

– karate;

– basketball;

– volleyball;

– chess.

Galymbek Zhaksylykov, Director of the Almaty Regional Branch of the Halyk Foundation, spoke about the role and significance of the #AUYLSPORT project in developing grassroots sports in rural areas, future plans, and upcoming sporting events: ‘It is no secret that the achievements and performance of our country in sports are closely linked to the Olympic Games. Most Olympic medalists come from rural areas. Taking into account the challenges we faced while supporting the #AuylFootball project and aiming to develop not only football but other sports in rural areas, the Halyk Foundation has launched the #AUYLSPORT project. The initiative plans to engage more than 12,000 rural children across six sports throughout all regions of the country.’

How will the project be implemented?

The regions were divided into groups and coordinators were assigned to each:

Mambetov Serik Bolatuly – coordinator for the southern regions (Almaty, Zhetysu, Zhambyl, Turkestan, Kyzylorda regions);

Lekerov Aidos Sairanuly – coordinator for the western regions (Atyrau, Mangistau, Aktobe, West Kazakhstan regions);

Nurguzhin Dauren Dulatuly – coordinator for the northern regions (Kostanay, Akmola, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan regions);

Ilyasov Almas Adiluly – coordinator for the eastern and central regions (Karaganda, Ulytau, Abay, East Kazakhstan regions).

“As part of the project, regional tournaments will be organized in the six aforementioned sports for youth and adolescents aged 8 to 14, followed by a national final competition among the winners of these tournaments. The initiative also includes training for coaches, professional development, thematic seminars, referee training, communication skills, and social media management. Winners and prize-winners of the tournaments will receive sports uniforms and equipment, as well as attend training camps. National tournament champions will have the opportunity to participate in prestigious national and international competitions. At the end of the year, the top athletes of the project will be recognized during the #AUYLSPORT AWARDS ceremony,” added Galymbek Zhaksylykov.

Regional tournaments in boxing, wrestling and karate will be held in four weight categories (up to 40 kg, 40-50 kg, 50-55 kg, over 55 kg). Basketball and volleyball tournaments will be organized for two age groups among boys and girls (10-14 years old and 14-17 years old). Chess tournaments will be held in four age categories (6-8 years old, 8-12 years old, 12-14 years old and over 14 years old).

The winners of the regional leagues will be provided with sports uniforms and equipment. For the winners of the republican final league and teams, training camps will be organized in specially designated places.

Also at the event, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Kazakh Academy of Sports and Tourism and the Halyk Charity Foundation. This memorandum opens a new stage in the implementation of joint projects aimed at developing sports in rural areas.

It should be noted that this project is part of the Halyk Foundation’s initiatives aimed at supporting those in need across the country and improving living conditions for the population. The foundation has already allocated around 500 million tenge to develop sports in rural areas. Since its establishment in 2016 under the leadership of Timur Kuliyev, the Halyk Foundation has implemented over 120 social projects, providing assistance totaling 85 billion tenge.