Kazakhstan celebrates National Sports Day

National sports are an important part of Kazakh culture, celebrating heritage and spirit while encouraging younger generations to embrace healthy lifestyles. Kazakhstan prioritizes promoting and developing these sports, both domestically and internationally.

Today, more than 660,000 people or about 9.6% of all those engaged in physical culture and sports regularly practice national sports. 11 disciplines are legally recognized as priority sports alongside Olympic and Paralympic events. Among them are asyq atu, audaryspaq (horseback wrestling), baige (horse racing), traditional archery, zhamby atu, zhekpe-zhek (martial arts), kokpar (horseback team game), Qazaq kuresi (wrestling), kusbegilik (falconry), tenge ilu (coin-picking on horseback), and togyzqumalaq (intellectual board game).

Four of these, kusbegilik, togyzqumalaq, kazakh kuresi, and asyq atu, are listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kazakh national sports are also featured at the World Nomad Games, with events such as Qazaq kuresi, kokpar, audaryspaq, tenge ilu, baige, asyq atu, togyzqumalaq, and kusbegilik. The upcoming Sixth World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan, scheduled for August 31–September 6, 2026, will also feature competitions in kokpar, which is also popular in Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.

Kazakhstan is working to promote its national sports globally. Efforts include seeking recognition of togyzqumalaq in major events such as the Deaflympics or Paralympics, and integrating Qazaq kuresi into international wrestling calendars. If successful, medals in Kazakh wrestling could be contested at the Asian Games and potentially the Olympics.

As part of the Nauryznama decade, Kazakhstan marked March 19 the Day of Renewal, which this year focuses on digital transformation