Kazakhstan stripped of Asian Games gold due to sneakers: Ministry of Sports statement

Photo: NOC/ Arlan Olzhabay

Tengrinews.kz — Kazakhstan's Ministry of Tourism and Sports has responded to the disqualification of Yasmina Toksanbayeva in the race walking marathon at the Asian Games. The Kazakh athlete won the race but was stripped of her medal due to prohibited footwear.

After the Kazakhstan national team was officially stripped of the Asian Games gold, Tengri Sport sent an inquiry to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to determine if anyone will be held accountable for Toksanbayeva losing her hard-earned victory.

We submitted the following questions to the Ministry:

Will the Ministry conduct an investigation to identify the responsible party and prevent such a situation from recurring?
Who is responsible for ensuring that the equipment of Kazakhstani athletes complies with all regulations?
What penalties face those responsible for the national team losing a crucial gold medal at the Asian Games?
If the athlete is not at fault, will she be compensated for the prize money associated with an Asian Games victory?

In its response, the department partially clarified the situation regarding Toksanbayeva.

"Yasmina Toksanbayeva’s performance at the 20th Summer Asian Games initially concluded with the best result in the race walking marathon; however, due to a subsequent disqualification decision, this result was annulled and is not counted toward Kazakhstan's medal tally.

Competition footwear requirements are strictly regulated by technical rules across all track and field disciplines. Athletes, based on their level of proficiency and qualification, work alongside their personal and senior coaching staff to professionally select footwear that meets international regulations.

The Athletics Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan is filing a protest, noting that the lack of notification during the pre-start check in the call room deprived the athlete of the right to change her shoes in time," the response stated.

The Ministry also stated that all prize payments intended for a champion will be fully covered by the Athletics Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

It is worth noting that the Athletics Federation previously explained that the specific model of sneakers that triggered the protest was not on World Athletics' list of approved footwear. Other models from the same brand, however, are included on the list.

Furthermore, the Federation stated that they are not absolving themselves of responsibility for the situation.

"The Federation does not waive its responsibility. In addition to high-quality athlete preparation and competition results, compliance with established regulations and technical requirements, as well as the effective protection of athletes' interests in international sports organizations, are of paramount importance," they noted.

As for the athlete herself, she has been sharing the support she is receiving from fans and fellow athletes on social media.