ElSport, a project by the El.kz online media outlet, has been shortlisted for the 2026 Urker award in the “Best Media Project” category (YouTube, podcast). The Kazakh-language sports interview series is hosted by journalists Madina Assylbek and Diana Orynbasar.
The first episode of ElSport was released on October,2 in 2025. Since then, the project’s hosts have interviewed athletes, coaches and a sports physician, offering audiences a multifaceted perspective on the world of sport. To date, 33 episodes have been produced.
According to the hosts, ElSport stands out as an ongoing sports media project led by women. The first episodes attracted viewers’ attention, and the project began building a regular audience.
“For us, this project is more than just a platform for interviews. Through our work, we challenge stereotypes that persist in society, such as ‘girls do not understand sports’ or ‘only men should talk about sports’. We strive to present sport not only through results and scores, but also through people’s personal stories, hard work, victories and defeats, character and motivation,” the project’s creators said.
Over the past year, ElSport has established itself as a Kazakh-language media platform where athletes can freely share their views and fans can feel closer to their sporting idols. The project’s creators aim to promote Kazakhstani sport in the national language through high-quality media content, increase young people’s interest in sport, and develop new formats in sports journalism.
