Published
08/06/2026, 17:28Taekwondo athletes from Kyrgyzstan were unable to fly to the Asian Championship due to problems with airline tickets. The travel agency claims that a former employee is to blame.
The Kyrgyzstan national Taekwon-Do ITF team was unable to compete at the Asian Championship in Mongolia after it was discovered during flight check-in that most of the paid airline tickets were not registered in the system. According to the Kyrgyz Taekwon-Do ITF Federation, more than 2 million KGS had been allocated for the purchase of tickets.
It is noteworthy that this is not an ordinary competition. The Asian Taekwon-Do ITF Championship is the main continental event, held once every two years. This year, it is hosted by Mongolia, where from August 3 to 9 the strongest athletes from Asian countries are competing for medals.
The Kyrgyzstan Taekwon-Do ITF delegation consisted of 40 people, including 32 athletes, coaches, a referee, federation officials, and accompanying staff. The International and Asian Taekwon-Do ITF Federations were ready to extend the registration deadline for the Kyrgyz team; however, it was not possible to secure the required number of airline tickets within a short time, and the national team was forced to withdraw from the tournament.
Vice President of the Kyrgyzstan Taekwon-Do ITF Federation, Sardor Rahimshaikhov, stated that the airline tickets had been purchased in advance. According to him, the first few tickets successfully passed verification in the registration system, which gave the Federation no reason to doubt their authenticity, and the remaining amount was subsequently paid.
“When we arrived at Almaty Airport for check-in, it turned out that the remaining tickets were counterfeit. We immediately began looking for alternative flight options and were ready to purchase new tickets at our own expense. The issue was not financial, but rather the lack of sufficient seats available on the flights,” — he said.
According to him, most of their athletes are minors. Therefore, it was impossible to send the team in small groups — participants had to travel together with coaches and accompanying staff. After unsuccessful attempts to find tickets, the delegation was forced to return to Bishkek.
Rahimshaikhov noted that the athletes had been preparing for the championship for more than six months, and for some of them these competitions were meant to become their first major international event of such a level.
“You should have seen the athletes' tears. Both children and adults were crying, having prepared for these competitions for a very long time. Each of them dreamed of representing Kyrgyzstan and raising the national flag.”
Following the cancellation of the trip, applications were submitted to law enforcement authorities. According to Rahimshaikhov, an employee through whom the airline tickets had been paid was detained. The Federation expects that the investigation will determine the degree of responsibility of all those involved.
He also emphasized that the airline ticket documents had been certified with the seal of the travel company, which gave the Federation no reason to doubt their authenticity.
Later, the press service of the Pervomay District Police Department reported that the suspect, born in 1993, was detained on charges of fraud in the sale of airline tickets and placed in the temporary detention facility of the Bishkek City Police Department.
According to the company’s version, the arrangements had been handled by a former employee who worked unofficially for about two and a half months and was dismissed back in May after another incident involving tourists.
The travel company stated that the money for the airline tickets had not been transferred to the company’s account, but instead to the personal accounts of the former employee.
The company also reported that the organization’s seal might have been used without the management’s knowledge. According to their version, the former employee could have taken advantage of it while working in the office. The company firmly denies any involvement and attributes the responsibility to the former employee.
In addition, the company stated that there had previously been complaints against the former employee from other employers and clients related to similar cases. This information reflects the position of the travel company and, as of the time of publication, has not been confirmed by court rulings.
Despite the canceled trip, the national team has already resumed training and begun preparations for the World Cup. The Federation states that the athletes, who experienced deep disappointment, do not intend to give up and will continue to fight for the right to represent Kyrgyzstan on the international stage. It is now up to the investigation to provide a legal assessment of what happened and to establish those responsible.
