Liana Hakim

Bibisara Assaubayeva's mother

“Why are the ministry’s statements inconsistent with the law?

In response to my daughter Bibisara Assaubayeva’s video, the Ministry of Sports stated that her salary was reduced by three times because chess is ‘not a priority sport’. But this statement contradicts regulations and the actions of the ministry itself.

Legal facts and the main question — Ministry of Sports Order No. 293: Appendix No. 1 (clause 35) includes chess in the Republican List of Priority Sports as part of the Asian Games program. Why doesn’t the ministry know the orders of its department?

Logical dead end — the ministry claims that chess is not a priority sport, so on what basis did Bibisara receive a salary of 300,000 tenge from the DRS? Order No. 159 (dated August 11, 2025): Bibisara has the legal right to a monthly allowance from local regional executive bodies for her numerous victories. She has also never received these payments.

All heads of regional sports committees are appointed by the Minister of Sports. We have more than enough legal grounds for decent pay.

Response to the hate about ‘millions’ — After the officials’ comments, Bibisara was hit with a wave of hate. I want to clarify that Bibisara did not receive this money as personal income. All allocated funds went toward: paying international coaches (including 20-30% taxes), flights, accommodations, and per diems for the team at training camps and tournaments.

This is standard practice for any sport, not ‘personal enrichment.’ My proposal to the Ministry — provide the public with complete and transparent statistics on expenses for other sports from the Ministry of Sport and regional committees, as well as from the Sport Qory fund, and compare them with the results.

Let people see which sports justify their budgets, and which receive millions of tenge without winning medals.

As a parent, I have invested and continue to invest enormous amounts of my own personal resources in the training of a professional champion. We are sincerely grateful to the state for the support it has provided. Bibisara has repeatedly justified it with her victories on the world stage.”