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

In Almaty, with the support of the Halyk Charitable Fund, the presentation of the #AUYLSPORT project was held—an initiative aimed at developing mass sports in rural areas across Kazakhstan.

The event was attended by renowned athletes, including Olympic silver medalists Demeu Zhadrayev (Paris) and Nurbakhyt Tengizbayev (Beijing), along with other prominent figures from the sports community.

The main goal of the #AUYLSPORT project is to:

– Involve rural children and teenagers in sports;

– Popularize sports and develop mass sports;

– Improve the qualifications of rural trainers and teach 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 Charitable Fund, spoke about the importance of the initiative:

“It’s no secret that many of our Olympic medalists come from rural areas. Building on the experience of the #AuylFootball project, and recognizing the need to support more than just football, the Halyk Foundation has launched the #AUYLSPORT project. We aim to engage over 12,000 rural children in six sports across 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 Charitable Fund. This memorandum opens a new stage in the implementation of joint projects aimed at developing sports in rural areas.

The #AUYLSPORT project is part of the Halyk Charitable Fund’s broader mission to support vulnerable populations and improve living conditions across Kazakhstan. To date, the Fund has allocated approximately 500 million tenge to support sports development in rural areas.

Since its founding in 2016 under the leadership of Timur Kulibayev, the Halyk Charitable Fund has implemented more than 120 social projects, providing assistance totaling 85 billion tenge.