To the Editor-in-Chief of the News Agency Portal
Translated from Russian with the help of AI. Original: Russian version
An official response from the Kazakhstan Chess Federation to a media inquiry about its funding, sponsors, expenditures and plans for the development of chess.
"ULYSMEDIA" Attn: A. Akhmetov
Dear Editors of ULYSMEDIA,
The Republican Public Association "Kazakhstan Chess Federation" (hereinafter, the Federation) hereby responds to your inquiry regarding the Federation's activities.
On the first question
The Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KCF) receives no funding from the republican budget and operates with funds from sponsors, including the Corporate Fund "Fund for the Support of the Tourism and Sports Industry". At the same time, the Ministry of Culture and Sports pays for the state coach and the national team coach, as well as for travel and accommodation at official international competitions whose participation the Ministry has approved. For detailed information, we suggest contacting the Ministry directly, as we do not have a full picture of these expenses.
On the second question
Funds received over 5 years from the Corporate Fund "Fund for the Support of the Tourism and Sports Industry".
In 2022, the funds allocated by the Fund were used as follows:
-
Prize fund of the first stage of the Women's Grand Prix in Nur-Sultan, in which two of our athletes will take part (Zhansaya Abdumalik, who qualified on the basis of her rating, and Bibisara Assaubayeva, who was given a wildcard that was granted to us as the tournament organizers) – KZT 74,506,100
-
Grants for leading athletes – KZT 58,267,580
Other sponsorship and partner funds
*excluding funds from the Corporate Fund
In 2022, a direct sponsorship contract for KZT 100,000,000 was signed with BCC, with phased financing over the course of the year starting in early May; KZT 40,000,000 has been received. In addition, sponsorship contributions totaling KZT 29 million were received from BCC's partners. BCC also purchased equipment for the Almaty Open worth KZT 30 million. In total, all sponsorship payments from BCC amounted to KZT 159 million, of which KZT 109 million has been received.
These funds were used in accordance with the Federation's statutory objectives. The Federation's objectives are the development of chess in the Republic of Kazakhstan and its popularization among the population, and raising the prestige of chess in the Republic of Kazakhstan and internationally.
The Federation's activities include:
- supporting the Olympic movement;
- representing the Republic of Kazakhstan in the International Chess Federation (FIDE);
- training highly qualified athletes and ensuring the participation of Kazakhstan's national teams and Kazakhstani chess players in the World Chess Olympiads, the Asian Games, World and Asian Championships and Cups, and other international competitions, including hybrid and online events;
- developing and implementing programs for the development of chess in Kazakhstan;
- reviewing, in the established manner, submissions and assisting in the award of sports and honorary titles and awards to athletes, coaches, referees and chess organizers.
Below are the Federation's annual expense items:
Scheduled tournaments from the KCF's official calendar:
- Kazakhstan Championship (hereinafter, KC) among boys and girls aged 8–18;
- KC among men and women (semifinals and final);
- KC among seniors;
- Open tournaments in Kazakhstan and mass-participation tournaments;
- KC among boys and girls under 20.
Based on the results of the KC among boys and girls aged 8 to 18, the Federation sends the champions to the World Championship and the silver medalists to the Asian Championships.
Delegation of official athletes:
- Participation fees
- Visa support and accommodation
- Flights, transfers and meals
Providing the men's and women's national teams with qualified coaches.
Organizing training camps for the men's, women's and youth national teams and their reserves:
- Accommodation
- Meals
- Transfers
- Fees for coaching staff
- Provision of material and technical resources
Federation's tax obligations
Rent of premises for administrative and management staff
Payroll of administrative and management staff
Promotion of the Federation's activities:
- Printed materials
- Marketing services
- Cooperation with the media
On the third question
The concept for the development of chess in Kazakhstan was presented to the Head of State in June. At present, this Federation initiative is under development. The Ministry is drafting a strategy for the development of chess in the country in the form of a roadmap, which will then go through a coordination procedure with government bodies, including the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan.
On the fourth question
The Federation initiated the concept for the development of chess, on the basis of which a roadmap will be created jointly with the Ministry of Culture and Sports. Within the roadmap, the responsible departments are making calculations for the implementation of each item. For example, the development of chess in schools, which the President approved and supported, will require detailed work by the Ministry of Education on introducing it in schools, and by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education on training the personnel needed to carry out this initiative.
Some initiatives will be funded by private sponsors, for example, periodic tournaments such as the Kazakhstan Cup. Building chess houses, for example, will require the involvement of city akimats.
On the fifth question
The Federation's Board of Trustees is being formed and will be submitted for approval at the Federation's Congress in September. The official composition of the Board of Trustees will be announced after approval. At present, well-known figures such as Berik Kaniyev, Kenes Rakishev, Timur Turlov, Gabit Satmagambetov, Anvar Saidenov and others have agreed to participate in the Board of Trustees.
On the sixth question
Monitoring the expenditures of the Corporate Fund "Fund for the Support of the Tourism and Sports Industry" is outside the KCF's remit; we ask that you contact the Fund directly. Athletes may receive funding from various sources, including directly from the Corporate Fund, from the Federation for training and participation in the national team, from local executive authorities in the regions where they compete, and from private sponsors. For each athlete, it is best to ask the athlete directly about his or her sources of funding.
President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation G. A. Khussainov
| No. | Year | Amount (KZT) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018 | 160,754,573.00 |
| 2 | 2019 | 221,281,521.00 |
| 3 | 2020 | 34,328,072.00 |
| 4 | 2021 | 30,500,000.00 |
| 5 | 2022 | 132,773,680.00 |
| No. | Year | Amount (KZT) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2018 | 272,412,560.00 |
| 2 | 2019 | 681,290,185.13 |
| 3 | 2020 | 79,119,988.00 |
| 4 | 2021 | 74,519,804.00 |
| 5 | 2022 | 182,452,770.00 |