Children involved in sports acrobatics have appealed to the Minister of Sport Yerbol Myrzabosynov and the Commissioner for Children's Rights Dinara Zakieva. They explained that they train and compete in international tournaments, winning prizes, yet are unable to obtain the official ranks they have earned.
As journalist Tamara Vaal wrote on her Facebook page, the ranks are not being awarded to the children due to a lack of qualification requirements.
"Meanwhile, this year at the World Championships, the team won one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals, and also secured two licences for the World Games in China. In 2023 at the Asian Championships in Tashkent, the team from Kazakhstan won 16 gold, one silver, and four bronze medals," the statement reads.
Parents and coaches note that based on the results of competitions, children from across Kazakhstan have met the standards for ranks in sports acrobatics: 39 people for Master of Sport of International Class, 45 people for Master of Sport, 116 people for Candidate for Master of Sport. Mass participation ranks were achieved by 760 people.
"Due to the inaction of the leadership, athletes cannot receive their earned titles and ranks, or gain grants for higher education institutions and boarding schools. Our children must and should receive their earned titles and ranks," the appeal states.
According to specialists, sports ranks are currently awarded not based on the results athletes achieve in competitions, but on the points they accumulate.
"The fact is that here the struggle is not even against an opponent, but more against oneself. You train, you make the programme more difficult, you make the elements more complex, thereby increasing your score. Plus, in these sports, many components are judged — flexibility, plasticity, artistry, choreography, and so on. And, given the competition, the difference between athletes can be just one-tenth or one-hundredth of a point. Furthermore, very many children are doing these sports today, and the competition is high," the statement says.
It is noted that representatives from various gymnastics disciplines have approached the Minister of Tourism and Sport Yerbol Myrzabosynov with a request to review the rules for obtaining ranks, but to no avail.
"We have been promised repeatedly that changes are about to be made, that you just need to urgently change this here, modify that there. We have fulfilled any requirements of the committee on time, and the committee fulfilled any requests from us quickly. But a year and a half has passed, and there has been no progress; they just keep feeding us promises. Even in 2023, they promised to change everything three or four times, and then it all went quiet. In 2024, acrobats met with Vice-Minister Serik Zharasbayev, who promised that this issue would be resolved quickly. But in reality, nothing has changed," stated one of the representatives.
At the same time, the journalist noted that the rules for obtaining ranks, developed by the sports committee and approved by the relevant ministry, are not applicable to sports acrobatics.
She explained this by stating that to obtain a sports rank, "no fewer than 15 regions and cities of republican significance" must participate in the Kazakhstan Championship. However, sports acrobatics is currently developed in only 9 regions.