The basketball club Astana may lose its previous level of funding. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media. The situation around the team was commented on by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan.
The Committee for Sports Development and Physical Culture stated that in recent years Astana's performances did not meet the set goals. The last season of the VTB United League was especially unsuccessful: the team took the last, 12th place, winning only two out of 44 matches.
The percentage of defeats exceeded 95% — this is the worst result in the club's entire history in the league. Moreover, for eight years Astana could not make it to the tournament's playoffs.
The team also failed to achieve success on the domestic stage. Astana lost in the fight for the Kazakhstan Cup and failed to win the National League championship title.
The Ministry of Sports reminded that last year a law was adopted aimed at improving the efficiency of sports funding. Among the main priorities are the development of national teams, preparation of sports reserve, and refusal to fund foreign players at the expense of the budget.
"In the current conditions, the possibility of revising approaches to the development of domestic basketball is being considered. The priority will be the development of the youth team, preparation of sports reserve, and support for children's and youth sports," the ministry stated.
The National Basketball Federation of Kazakhstan said it had reviewed the decision to reduce funding for BC Astana and supports the course towards developing young Kazakh players.
The federation emphasized its readiness to cooperate with the Ministry of Sports, the club, and other interested parties.
"The common goal is to maintain the competitiveness of Kazakh basketball, create conditions for the further development of young talents, and find effective solutions that will ensure a worthy representation of the country on the international stage," the federation's statement said.
In May of this year, Kursiv reported that basketball club Astana lost all matches of the West Asian Super League (WASL) in Beirut. Against this background, the management of the capital club announced that the team would miss the next season of the VTB United League.