Kazakhstan's women's basketball team edged Hong Kong 80:77 (12:10, 17:19, 11:14, 28:25, 12:9) in a dramatic finish at the 2026 Asian Games. Having taken 3rd place in Group B, the national team has not lost its chances of reaching the Asian Games playoffs. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Unlike the game against Japan, which they lost by an unseemly score of 23:88, Boris Fatkulin's charges looked quite competitive this time. Both teams led alternately throughout the match.

In the fourth period, Hong Kong pulled ahead by 11 points. It was 62:51 with four minutes left in regulation. However, the pride of our girls, wounded by the Japanese, flared up so much that they produced an incredible comeback. The buzzer fixed an equal score on the board – 68:68.

In overtime, the Kazakh players, having found an antidote to the opponents' constant pressing, moved ahead and literally snatched the victory – 80:77. The first at the current Asian Games. The top scorer for our team was guard Anastasia Alishauskaite, who scored 22 points.

🏀 INDONESIA – THAILAND 61:52, CHINA – THAILAND 111:46, CHINA – INDONESIA 110:41

  • 01China – 4, 2. Indonesia – 2, 3. Thailand – 2

🏀 PHILIPPINES – KAZAKHSTAN 88:55, JAPAN – HONG KONG 114:37, PHILIPPINES – HONG KONG 90:73, JAPAN – KAZAKHSTAN 88:23, KAZAKHSTAN – HONG KONG 80:77 OT

  • 01Japan – 4, 2. Philippines – 4, 3. Kazakhstan – 4, 4. Hong Kong – 3

🏀 SOUTH KOREA – MALAYSIA 106:40, CHINESE TAIPEI – MONGOLIA 76:67, SOUTH KOREA – MONGOLIA 88:61, CHINESE TAIPEI – MALAYSIA 98:59

  • 01South Korea – 4, 2. Chinese Taipei – 4, 3. Mongolia – 2, 4. Malaysia – 2

The top two teams from each of the three groups will advance to the playoffs. Plus two of the three teams that finish third. Thus, the Kazakh team, which took third place, still has chances for the quarterfinals. Our team's tournament fate depends on the results of the final group-stage matches.

Throughout the history of the Asian Games, only three countries have won gold in women's basketball – China, South Korea and Japan. The Kazakhstan national team has finished fifth four times (1994, 1998, 2014, 2018). At the previous Asian Games, our girls took 12th place. The Chinese won.

The official opening of the Games took place on September 19. In the multi-sport competitions involving athletes from 45 countries, 460 sets of medals will be awarded. 217 – among men, 204 – among women and 39 – in mixed events. Kazakhstan's national team at the 2026 Asian Games will feature 558 athletes in 35 sports.

On the first day of the Games, Kazakhstan won four gold medals. The champions of the Games were cyclists Rinata Sultanova and Alexey Lutsenko, as well as karatekas Zholaman Bigabyl and Sofya Berultseva. After the second day, Kazakhstan was in fourth place in the unofficial team standings.