The national coach of the Republic of Kazakhstan for rowing sports Daulet Sultanbekov has commented on a conflict with a coach from Turkestan Region, Timur Alikhanov, which occurred after the Asian Rowing Championships. He denied allegations of alcohol consumption and stated that his opponent was the instigator of the conflict.
WHAT DAULET SULTANBEKOV SAID
According to reports from the Telegram channel «HALYQSTAN», 31-year-old Daulet Sultanbekov has submitted his version of events to the editorial team.
According to him, at the time of the incident he was acting as the competition director, so the accusations that he was under the influence of alcohol are untrue. Sultanbekov also claimed that 22-year-old Timur Alikhanov allegedly provoked the conflict himself.
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE FIGHT
Sultanbekov said that he was in the officials' room together with the senior coach of Kyzylorda Region and judge Mukhitdin Mierbekov, where an inventory of federation property was being carried out and the competition results were being discussed.
According to his version, Alikhanov entered the room without permission, then began looking through cupboards and allegedly tried to take the federation's mascot, which was intended as a gift for guests. Sultanbekov claims that requests to return the item were unsuccessful.
He also stated that Alikhanov used offensive language and provoked him.
WHO, ACCORDING TO SULTANBEKOV, STARTED THE FIGHT
According to Daulet Sultanbekov, the first blow was struck by Timur Alikhanov. He claims that after this he ended up on the floor, where, the national coach states, he was repeatedly beaten and threatened.
Sultanbekov said that he then struck back in return. According to him, this is the exact moment that was captured on the video footage published online.
CONTEXT
Earlier, details emerged about a conflict between a coach from the specialised youth Olympic reserve sports school for water sports in Turkestan Region, Timur Alikhanov, and the national coach of the Republic of Kazakhstan for rowing sports, Daulet Sultanbekov.
The incident took place on 7 June 2026 after the conclusion of the 6th Asian Youth, Junior and Paracanoe Sprint Championships. The editorial team of the FBRK previously obtained the full video of the conflict, which, it was reported, did not allow for a definitive determination of the causes of the incident, but indicated that the physical confrontation was mutual.
Later, the Republican Public Association «Federation «Khaiyk» for rowing sports issued an official statement regarding the incident between the coaches, which occurred after the conclusion of the Asian Rowing Championships in Turkestan. The organisation called for waiting for the results of the pre-trial investigation and refraining from premature conclusions.