On May 1, 2026, the 5th Meeting of Heads of Ministries and Agencies of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization responsible for the development of physical culture and sports took place in in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan.
The heads of delegations held a substantive exchange of views on cooperation in elite sports, the development of sports integration, the training of coaching personnel, the promotion of national and traditional sports and other areas.
The meeting was chaired by Urmat Asanbaev, Director of the State Agency for Physical Culture and Sports under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic. In his remarks he emphasized the importance of developing physical culture among the population and expanding cooperation among SCO member states in the field of sports.
In his speech SCO Deputy Secretary-General Oleg Kopylov stressed that the Organisation serves not only as a platform for political dialogue, but also as a mechanism for developing humanitarian ties, including sports cooperation, which contributes to strengthening mutual understanding among peoples. He also noted the need to improve the institutional framework of cooperation, including in the context of the adoption of the Regulation on the Working Group on Physical Culture and Sports of the SCO Member States.
He placed particular emphasis on the importance of the Regulations for holding the international sports competitions “SCO Open Cup,” adopted at the Meeting, the implementation of which will contribute to expanding practical cooperation and strengthening friendly ties among member states.
The heads of ministries and departments responsible for the development of physical culture and sports of the SCO member states noted the importance of the SCO Statement of March 2, 2026, in connection with the situation surrounding the Islamic Republic of Iran and expressed serious concern over Iran’s report 'On military strikes on Iranian territory, which resulted in casualties among the civilian population, including athletes, as well as the destruction of sports infrastructure, depriving Iranian athletes of the opportunity to fully participate in international sporting activities.'
Following the Meeting, a Protocol was signed.
On the sidelines of the event the Secretariat delegation held meetings with Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation Mikhail Degtyarev and Minister of Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Belarus Sergey Kovalchuk. They discussed specific issues related to the development of cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports within the SCO framework including the promotion of joint initiatives.
