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Between 2021 and 2024, Kazakhstan more than doubled its public spending on sports from KZT 153 billion (USD 289 million) to KZT 315 billion (USD 594 million). Yet, the country has not achieved a breakthrough in high-performance sports. A new report by the analytical portal Ranking.kz highlights why substantial investments have failed to deliver world-class results.
Spending More, Achieving Less
An audit by Kazakhstan’s Supreme Audit Chamber revealed declining efficiency in sports sector spending. Over three years, violations totaling KZT 17 billion (USD 32 million) were identified. KZT 13.7 billion (USD 26 million) was categorized as ineffective spending, while KZT 2.8 billion (USD 5.3 million) was lost due to poor planning.
Despite numerous strategic documents, the sector still lacks a centralized development strategy. Objectives are often recycled from one policy to the next, with no clear implementation mechanisms or performance evaluations.
Funding distribution is also inconsistent. In some cases, more resources go to non-Olympic sports, while Olympic disciplines remain underfunded. Nineteen of the 46 Olympic sports had no training programs, and Kazakhstan failed to send athletes to Olympic qualifiers in five disciplines, despite spending KZT 2 billion (USD 3.8 million) on them.
Million-Dollar Bonuses vs. Grassroots Development
While efficiency falters, some officials are awarding themselves generous bonuses. Staff at the “Sports Development Directorate” received over KZT 3.5 billion (USD 6.6 million) in bonuses over three years, averaging KZT 7.7 million (USD 14,500) per person annually, or roughly KZT 640,000 (USD 1,200) per month, often exceeding their base salaries.
In contrast, funding for grassroots sports has declined. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, in 2023, KZT 121 billion (USD 228 million) was allocated to youth sports schools (DYuSSh). That figure dropped to KZT 91 billion (USD 172 million) in 2024.
Payroll funding has been reduced by nearly 25%, and National Schools of Olympic Reserve (RShVSM) experienced cuts of up to 65.9%.
Meanwhile, funding for sports boarding schools for gifted children rose by 69.3%, reaching KZT 29.7 billion (USD 56 million). Schools of higher sports mastery and Olympic preparation centers each received KZT 16.7 billion (USD 31.5 million).
The Ministry has pledged to introduce a per capita funding system for youth sports schools starting in 2026. This reform aims to improve transparency and better align funding with children’s sports preferences.
Participation in Decline
Despite rising budgets, participation in sports is falling. In 2024, the number of Kazakh citizens engaged in sports dropped by 750,000 to 8.4 million. Of these, 6.9 million attend sports clubs or sections, a 9.8% decrease from the previous year.
Olympic sports remain the most popular, with 4.3 million participants, followed by non-Olympic sports (1.8 million) and traditional national sports (667,000).
Football leads with over 1.1 million players, followed by volleyball (768,000) and basketball (656,000).
Kazakhstan has over 37,500 sports facilities, including 21,800 outdoor grounds and around 10,000 indoor gyms, two-thirds of which are operated by educational institutions.
On paper, Kazakhstan appears to be making significant investments in sports. In practice, however, the absence of a coherent strategy, inefficient spending, and misplaced priorities continue to undermine progress. While elite training centers receive increased funding, support for grassroots and Olympic sports is shrinking. Without comprehensive structural reform, even billion-tenge budgets are unlikely to turn Kazakhstan into a global sports powerhouse.
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