Kazakhstan's men's rugby sevens team secured its first victory at the 20th Summer Asian Games 2026, hosted by Japan's Aichi-Nagoya region, according to infohub.kz.
On Thursday, both the men's and women's national teams played two preliminary-round matches each.
Kazakhstan's men opened Group A play with a 0-38 loss to Japan. In their second match, however, the Kazakhs defeated Thailand 12-5, with Nikita Ivanov and Danil Tur getting on the scoresheet.
In the final third round on October 2, Kazakhstan will face South Korea for a direct spot in the quarterfinals.
The women's national team lost both of its Group D matches on Thursday — to Thailand (5-28) and Japan (0-48). Its final third-round match against Singapore is set for October 2.
In the women's bracket, the top two teams from each group will continue the fight for medals. Kazakhstan's team has lost its chance of reaching the semifinals and will play in the consolation playoffs.