Tengrinews.kz - President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has criticized sports officials for mismanaging budgets without achieving results.
Tokayev emphasized that the government allocates significant funds for training top-level athletes. As such, he believes it is fair for citizens to expect impressive achievements from Kazakh athletes in international competitions.
"We are undertaking major reforms in key areas such as healthcare, social services, education, science, culture, and of course, sports. Our approach is not to chase medals at any cost. We remember the past, when excessive resources were used for false glory, often harming athletes' health and damaging the country’s reputation. Kazakhstan needs genuine, lasting achievements, not short-lived successes," Tokayev stated.
Tokayev also called for an end to the practice of naturalizing foreign athletes, arguing that it often displaces promising young Kazakh athletes from national teams. Instead, he suggested hiring strong foreign coaches in sports where Kazakhstan faces challenges, emphasizing that professional coaching is key to long-term success.
"We have more than 500 Youth Sports schools, but only 52 out of 162 sports are Olympic. This leads to insufficient replenishment of reserves in Olympic sports and a decline in results. Additionally, uneven funding scatters budgetary resources," said the Head of State.
At the meeting, the Head of State also noted that in the last five years, spending on elite sports has doubled, but there has been no adequate return.
"The lack of managerial hierarchy and coordination between agencies leads to corruption and budget mismanagement rather than sports development. This harms sports and the country's image. Such a situation is unacceptable!" declared the President.
The President set the task of increasing the authority of the National Olympic Committee among Kazakhstan's sports community and abroad.
He identified the development of national sports as a priority and emphasized the importance of the 5th World Nomad Games, which will be held in Kazakhstan.
