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Winter Olympic Games

Small but Always Present: Kyrgyzstan at the Winter Olympics

Since independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan has sent just one or two athletes to every edition of the Winter Olympics, a reflection of its modest stature in winter sports as well as its persistence in being represented among the world’s best every four years. This year is no different. Alpine skier Timur Shakirov and cross-country skier Artur Saparbekov, both 19 years old, will compete for Kyrgyzstan at the games that run from February 6 to February 22 in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites and other locations in northern Italy. Shakirov will participate in the giant slalom and slalom at the Bormio resort, while Saparbekov will also compete in two disciplines - the classic sprint and the 10-kilometer freestyle - at Val di Fiemme. The athletes recently showed off their national uniforms for the games – a dark blue one for training and a white one with a white kalpak, the traditional Kyrgyz headgear, for ceremonial events. Kyrgyzstan’s National Olympic Committee said it had provided the athletes with Olympic scholarships worth $21,000, starting in November 2023. “A coaching workshop on skiing was also held in 2025, and in 2026, a biathlon workshop aimed at upgrading specialists and developing winter sports in the country is planned,” the committee said. Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous terrain offers potential for the development of winter sports, but limited funding and a lack of top-level training facilities has held back progress. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan first participated in the Winter Olympics at the 1994 games in Lillehammer, Norway, with Yevgeniya Roppel competing in the biathlon, a sport that involves cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The country of about seven million people has sent a delegation to the games every four years since then, a notable feat because athletes have to get through qualifying rounds. The first Winter Olympics were held in 1924. With a delegation of three-dozen athletes, Kazakhstan is sending the biggest team from Central Asia to the Games in Italy. Uzbekistan planned to send four athletes, but a figure-skating pair is unable to compete because of an injury. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are not participating.

Winter Olympic Games

Inspired by Golovkin, Young Kazakhstani Skier Heads to Winter Olympics

A 16-year-old Kazakhstani freestyle skier who won silver in the mixed team aerials event at the 2025 Asian Games is among athletes from Central Asia who will compete at the Olympic Games in Italy this month. With a 36-member team, Kazakhstan is sending the largest contingent from the region to the games, which run from February 6 to February 22 in Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Dolomites and other locations in northern Italy. The youngest member of the team is Asylkhan Assan, who also took tenth place for Kazakhstan at a World Cup event in China a year ago and has competed in other international competitions. “The most important thing is to perform well. To fully demonstrate my potential and not make mistakes during the jump,” Assan said in an interview posted on the the Olympic.kz website. The teen athlete said he got into sports when he was five years old and, with the encouragement of his grandmother, followed his sister into freestyle skiiing. The acrobatic sport features flips, twists and somersaults after skiiing off a steep jump and concludes with a hopefully clean landing on a downhill slope. “I had injuries during my career, but my family always supported me,” he said. “I did not break down physically or psychologically.” Assan said his role model is Gennady Golovkin, the former middleweight world champion from Kazakhstan, and that he used to wake up early to watch the boxer’s fights. Golovkin, head of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee, was named president of World Boxing at the federation’s inaugural congress in Rome in November. Freestyle skiing emerged in the 1960s at a time of social change and a push for “more more freedom of expression, even in sports,” the Olympics organization said. It was “initially called ‘hotdogging’ because it involved a mix of acrobatic moves, aerials, and adrenaline,” it said. The International Ski Federation recognised freestyle as a discipline in 1979, introduced guidelines to make it safer and held the first events in the following year. It made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport at the games in Calgary, Canada in 1988. The town of Livigno will host the freestyle skiiing and snowboarding events at this year’s Winter Olympics.

Football

Turkmen Football Fans Moved to Worse Seats for Match with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr

Fans who have bought tickets to the upcoming Asian Champions League match between Turkmenistan's Arkadag and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr on February 11 have been informed, sometimes repeatedly, that their seats are being changed to make room for “organized support” groups. According to a source in Ashgabat, notifications are being sent via users’ personal accounts on ticketing platforms. The vacated sections, the source said, are being allocated to students who are reportedly being trained in advance to provide choreographed support for the home team. Affected spectators are often offered seats with worse visibility, and in many cases, fans, especially families and groups, are being split across different sectors of the stadium, making it nearly impossible to watch the match together. Public frustration has grown as a result. “A 45,000-seat stadium was specifically allocated for this match. If officials had plans for some sections, they could have decided in advance and sold tickets accordingly. If they can’t even organize one match properly, how can we expect them to handle more serious events?” the source said. Some fans have opted not to attend the match at all, despite having already paid for tickets. Others are seeking to resell their tickets, though doing so is complicated. Ticket purchases required passport details, and it is believed that ID checks may be enforced at the gates, making resale risky. Adding to the discontent is the asymmetry in ticketing policy: the Ashgabat city administration’s ticket regulations prohibit buyers from exchanging or returning tickets, while allowing organizers to unilaterally reassign seats. According to reports, the most prominent seating sections will not be occupied by club supporters, but by students compelled to rehearse chants and routines for the game. Arkadag will host Al-Nassr in the last 32 round of the AFC Champions League. The Saudi club’s lineup includes global football star Cristiano Ronaldo. The return leg is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia on February 17 or 18.

Chess

Tata Steel Chess Contest Has A New Champion – From Uzbekistan

When he was a child, Nodirbek Abdusattorov dreamed of winning the elite Tata Steel Chess Tournament in the Netherlands. On Sunday, the 21-year-old from Uzbekistan did just that. Abdusattorov secured the champion´s title after raising his point total to nine, playing with the black pieces in a final round victory over Indian Arjun Erigaisi. Another grandmaster from Uzbekistan, 20-year-old Javokhir Sindarov, came second with eight and a half points. “I can’t express my happiness with words. It was a long way for me,” Abdusattorov said in an interview posted on the tournament website. He said he had come close to winning the contest in previous years, and finally doing so was a highlight of his career. “I had a dream to win this tournament when I was a kid and finally my dream came true,” he said. “I just told myself: ‘Don’t let it slip this year.´” Uzbekistan´s top player had six wins, six draws and one loss in the 13-round tournament. “For three straight years, Nodirbek Abdusattorov was right there on top going into the final weekend. Three times, the title slipped through his fingers. This year, he came back and finished the story. From heartbreak to redemption,” the tournament said on X. Abdusattorov won the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship in 2021 and was part of the team from Uzbekistan that won gold at the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. FIDE is the international governing body of chess. “I gave everything I had,” Abdusattorov said. “I don’t have plans for celebration but obviously I’m going to do something.” Sindarov had four wins, nine draws and no losses at the Tata Steel event, where he was the only unbeaten player. He won the FIDE World Cup in 2025, qualifying for this year’s Candidates Tournament, which determines who can challenge the world champion. The current champion is India’s Gukesh Dommaraju. Over the years, the Tata Steel tournament in the seaside town of Wijk aan Zee has attracted greats of the game including Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov and Magnus Carlsen. The strong showing by Uzbek players in the 14-participant Masters competition this year shows the growing strength of chess talent in Uzbekistan.

Chess

Uzbek Chess Surges at Elite Tata Steel Event in Netherlands

Uzbek grandmasters Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov lead in the standings after the half-way mark in the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Tournament, currently underway in the Netherlands. Abdusattorov is in the top position with five and a half points after key victories in the Masters category, benefiting in the sixth round from a blunder by world champion Gukesh Dommaraju that cost the Indian a rook and led him to resign soon afterward. Abdusattorov then beat top seed Vincent Keymer of Germany in the seventh round, though he lost in the next game to Anish Giri of the Netherlands. The Uzbek grandmaster has won four games and drawn three times. Sindarov is unbeaten in second place with five points, after two wins and six draws. Hans Niemann of the United States is third in the standings with four and a half points. Players get one point for a win, half a point for a draw and zero points for a loss. The Tata Steel tournament, one of the toughest chess events of the year, runs from January 16 to February 1 in the seaside town of Wijk aan Zee. Round nine starts on Tuesday. There are a total of 13 rounds.

Sports

Nani Transfer to FC Aktobe Signals Kazakhstan Football Clubs’ Bet on Aging Stars

The Kazakhstan Premier League (KPL) is emerging as a destination for veteran European footballers in the twilight of their careers, as local clubs invest in high-profile transfers to boost visibility, attract sponsorships, and reignite fan interest. The most notable example comes from western Kazakhstan, where FC Aktobe was transferred to private ownership less than a month ago. On January 8, the regional government sold the club to businessman Nurlan Artikbayev, owner of the construction firm Qazaq Stroy, for $730,000. Artikbayev pledged to modernize the stadium, develop youth football, and rebuild the squad after the club’s failure to win the championship or qualify for European competitions. Aktobe’s first move was signing Kazakhstan national team goalkeeper Alexander Zarutsky, formerly of Almaty’s FC Kairat and a key figure in their historic UEFA Champions League appearance. However, the headline transfer was the acquisition of 39-year-old Luís Nani, the former Portuguese international and ex-midfielder for Manchester United, Fenerbahçe, Lazio, and Sporting. The club announced Nani’s signing on January 25, highlighting the move as a symbol of its renewed ambitions. Nani most recently played for Portuguese side Estrela, appearing in 10 matches and scoring once. In a statement, he expressed enthusiasm for helping to develop both the club and Kazakh football more broadly. Earlier negotiations between Aktobe and Thomas Müller fell through, with the 36-year-old German reportedly turning down a proposed loan from MLS club Vancouver. Rumors of interest in Brazilian forward Hulk were denied by his agent, while talks with 35-year-old Miralem Pjanić, formerly of Barcelona and Juventus, collapsed over financial terms. The Kazakh transfer window remains open until April 3, leaving open the possibility of further signings. Elsewhere in the league, FC Kaisar of Kyzylorda announced the signing of 35-year-old Victor Moses, the former Chelsea and Inter Milan midfielder. These moves signal a clear strategy: use marquee names to elevate the league’s status and attract new audiences. This new approach coincides with a major policy shift. As of 2025, Kazakhstan has implemented a legislative ban on the use of public funds to pay foreign athletes, meaning that such transfers must now be financed entirely through private investment. Whether this strategy pays off on the pitch remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Kazakhstani football is pivoting toward a market-driven model, where fan engagement and media visibility are becoming as valuable as tournament points.