Astana, 17 October. Nurasyl Medeu, founder of the Kazakh National University of Sport (KNUS), announced that he is handing the university to the state free of charge: "This is not a sale, not a transfer into trust management and not a forced step, but a free gift to my native country" (Ulysmedia, BES.media).
Medeu said all founder's grants already awarded will be kept in full: the money for the entire period of study is already in the university's account, and the obligations will be secured legally (Ulysmedia). Support programmes include the Life Chance Grant, which offers free tuition, a monthly stipend of 100,000 tenge, a dormitory place, a mentor and funding for study abroad, and the Merit Grant, which covers tuition in full (Ulysmedia, BES.media).
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the university started in 2021 as the Academy of Physical Culture and Mass Sport with 150 students and now has almost five thousand (BES.media). It has not been announced which state body or organisation will receive the university or when the transfer will be completed.
Background: According to Ulysmedia, the 23-year-old Medeu, son of Kurultai deputy Dana Medeuova, owns 95% stakes in two universities, the National Research University of Artificial Intelligence and KNUS; the remaining 5% in each belongs to state companies, and the decision to hand over concerns only the sports university (Ulysmedia). In July 2026 Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov visited the new KNUS building in Astana; according to the government, the university was opened on the president's instructions (Informburo).
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