Kazakhstan Elevates National Sports to Priority Status Under New Law

Kazakhstan has taken a major step in promoting its cultural heritage by officially recognizing national sports as a priority area under the newly revised Law on Physical Culture and Sports, which came into force in June 2024.

This legal upgrade places traditional sports on equal footing with Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, granting them access to state funding and potential classification as high-performance sports, The Caspian Post reports, citing Kazakh media.

The legislation paves the way for expanded development of 11 traditional sports, including assyk atu, audaryspak, baige, dastyrli zhamby atu, zhekpe-zhek, kokpar, qazaq kuresi, kusbegilik, tenge ilu, and togyzkumalak. Four of these have already been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, signaling their international recognition.

A defining moment in this cultural sports movement occurred in September 2024, when Kazakhstan hosted the V World Nomad Games in Astana. The international event brought together 2,700 athletes from 89 countries, showcasing the rich diversity of nomadic sports and traditions. Kazakhstan emerged as the overall winner, collecting 112 medals, including 43 gold, topping the global medal standings.

To build on this momentum, the country continues to promote its national sports through large-scale competitions such as the Akbidai Rural Sports Games, the Qazaqstan Barysy national wrestling championship, the Uly Dala Zhorygy marathon baige, and various ethnosport festivals and tournaments held across the nation.