Kazakhstan seeks to include togyzkumalak in Paralympics and Deaflympics

Speaking at a briefing at the Central Communication Service, Kazakhstan’s Togyzkumalak Federation president Akim Tursun said four Kazakh national sports – kusbegilik, Kazakh kures (wrestling), asyk atu, and togyzkumalak - are among UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage. He added that Kazakhstan seeks to include its national sports in the program of major international competitions.

There is support from central government bodies and local executive authorities. Also, togyzkumalak is being popularized by Kazakh embassies abroad. Joint efforts are underway to promote our national sports not only within the country, but also globally. The priority task is to open national federations across different countries, and this work is progressing at a good pace. The goal is not just to formally establish federations on all continents, but also to promote toguzkumalak into the program of international competitions. And we are confident that there is strong potential for including toguzkumalak in the future in Paralympic and Deaflympic Games, the potential is great, said the president of the Togyzkumalak Federation of Kazakhstan.

One of the signs confirming the growing global interest in toguzkumalak can be considered the upcoming World Junior Toguzkumalak Championship, which will be held from November 17 to 23. This year, 140 foreign athletes from 20 countries are expected to participate. The tournament will take place in a hybrid format, with medals contested in the classical format, as well as in blitz and rapid.

Around 60 juniors will represent Kazakhstan. Many countries are now showing interest in the game of toguzkumalak. It is especially popular in Pakistan, Mexico, Romania, and South Korea. For example, in Islamabad, the two countries are jointly building a sports complex where sports such as Kazakh kures (wrestling) and toguzkumalak will be promoted.

Amanbai Nurmukhanbetov, Deputy Chair of the Kazakh Tourism and Sports Ministry’s Committee for Sports and Physical Culture stressed that the junior world championship, which is starting in Almaty, is the second of its kind; the first world championship was also held in 2023 in Almaty.

The national federation is doing significant work, thanks to which the championship is held once every two years. This year, several amendments were made to the Law ‘On Physical Culture and Sports,’ including those concerning national, Olympic, Paralympic, and Deaflympic sports. Eleven national sports are actively developing in the country. More than 200,000 citizens practice toguzkumalak, and over 600,000 people are involved in national sports. Overall, this accounts for 9.6% of all athletes said Nurmukhanbetov.

Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported citing Kyodo News the IOC is considering moving some sports from Summer to Winter Games.