The national taekwondo team of Kyrgyzstan was unable to fly to the Asian Championship in Mongolia due to fraud. Fans and concerned citizens are already offering financial assistance to the athletes, reports infohub.kz.
Sardor Rakhimshaikhov, vice-president of the ITF Taekwondo Federation of Kyrgyzstan, said the team was supposed to be at accreditation before the championship, but the trip fell through due to a scam involving airline tickets. The team planned to fly on the route Almaty - Beijing - Ulaanbaatar.
"Currently, our team still has some slim chances to make it to the championship, for which we have been preparing for more than six months. We appeal to all involved and interested parties, tour operators, airlines, and the country's leadership. We ask to help our national team get to the Asian Championship, for which we have been preparing for a long time," Rakhimshaikhov said.
The police department of Pervomaisky district in Bishkek said they have launched an investigation. Police officers are looking into the circumstances and identifying possible culprits.
After the federation's appeal, social media users began to express support for the athletes en masse. In the comments, many are offering to set up a fundraiser to help the team buy new tickets and still make it to Mongolia. Others are wondering why the organizational costs fell on the athletes themselves rather than on state bodies.
According to the vice-president, the team was defrauded of 2 million soms (more than 10 million tenge).