Another significant step has been taken in Kazakhstan to increase access to sports for children and adolescents in rural areas, to promote mass sports, and to encourage a healthy lifestyle. As part of the AUYLSPORT project, launched in 2024, a memorandum of mutual cooperation was signed between the Halyk Charitable Foundation and the Basketball and Volleyball Federations of Kazakhstan.
Sport — the Foundation of the Village’s Future
The Halyk Foundation, founded by Timur and Dinara Kulibayev, has consistently supported initiatives aimed at addressing social and infrastructure challenges in rural areas. One shining example of this is the AUYLSPORT project.
Within the framework of cooperation, the parties plan to work in the following areas:
• Opening accessible sports sections for rural youth;
• Retraining and improving the professional skills of coaches;
• Forming a body of referees;
• Holding regional, national, and international competitions;
• Providing sports equipment and gear.
The memorandum was signed by Galymbek Zhaksylykov, Executive Director of the Halyk Foundation, Zhuldyz Baydussenova, Secretary General of the National Basketball Federation of Kazakhstan, and Yermek Syrlubaev, Vice President of the Kazakhstan Volleyball Federation.
Launched in 2024, the project has received strong support in rural regions. In a short period, more than 10,000 children across all regions have started to engage regularly in various sports through AUYLSPORT.
One of the key events proving the effectiveness of the project was the international Gymnasiade held in Serbia. Out of the 22 athletes who represented Kazakhstan, 12 were trained through AUYLSPORT. They elevated Kazakhstan’s reputation with their performances, demonstrating the vitality and success of the initiative.
The Basketball and Volleyball Federations of Kazakhstan are among the country’s leading sports organizations. Their involvement in AUYLSPORT is expected to take rural sports to a new level. This partnership opens the door to experienced coaches, methodological support, and greater opportunities for village children.
Galymbek Zhaksylykov, Executive Director of the Halyk Foundation, stated:
“We believe that today’s memorandum with the basketball and volleyball federations will give a new impetus to the development of the AUYLSPORT project. This partnership will strengthen the sports infrastructure in rural areas and create broad opportunities for the growth of young athletes. It will also contribute to promoting a healthy lifestyle.”
This memorandum represents an important strategic step that offers new opportunities for rural youth, promotes mass sports, and advances a culture of philanthropy. The parties expressed their intention to deepen cooperation further and systematically work to increase the accessibility of rural sports throughout all regions of the country.
As a reminder, the AUYLSPORT project began in 2024 with regional-level tournaments. Over 12,000 children and adolescents from 200 villages participated, showing strong interest in sports. Basketball and volleyball are among the six sports included in the project. The national finals of the project’s tournaments brought together over 1,300 young athletes from 17 regions of the country, lifting rural sports to a new level.
The Halyk Charitable Foundation is one of Kazakhstan’s largest organizations supporting social initiatives aimed at assisting those in need across the country and improving quality of life. The Foundation has allocated around 500 million tenge for rural sports development. In total, the foundation has implemented more than 120 social projects, with over 85 billion tenge invested to date.
AUYLSPORT is a new opportunity for adolescents and a first step toward becoming future champions. Initiated by Timur Kulibayev, the project is giving momentum to rural sports and transforming the lives of thousands of children.
