Astana, Kazakhstan, February 18, 2026: Kazakhstan has been singled out as a priority country for badminton development in Central Asia following a meeting between officials of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan and the leadership of the Asian and Kazakhstan Badminton Federations in Astana last week.
Wajid Ali Chaudhry, Chair of the Development Committee of Badminton Asia, met with Kazakh sports officials and both parties discussed the development of the sport in Kazakhstan and strengthening international cooperation.
The meeting was attended by Nurlan Nogerbek, Director General of the Kazakhstan NOC, Beket Balykov, Secretary General of the Kazakhstan Badminton Federation, and Yeldos Omirkhan, Executive Director of the Federation.
The Asian Federation noted that Kazakhstan will become one of the priority countries for badminton development in Central Asia. The main focus will be on the systematic strengthening of badminton’s position, expanding human resource potential, and increasing international competitiveness.
Special attention was paid to the issues of qualification for the Olympic Games. Chaudhry emphasised that the current qualification criteria was extremely difficult: only 25 Olympic quotas are provided at the global level.
Developing grassroots participation and forming a sustainable youth reserve will also be a priority area. It is also planned to expand sports facilities within the education system and integrate badminton into school and university programmes.
“For Kazakhstan, international cooperation is an important tool for increasing the competitiveness of our athletes. Access to modern training methods and educational programmes will ensure the sustainable development of badminton at all levels,” the NOC stated.