On September 27, 2026, Almaty hosted the 15th edition of the Almaty Marathon. A record 16 000 people from 66 countries took part in the races — the highest turnout in the event’s history.
The event also set new category records: 1 534 international participants joined the race, while 1 614 runners completed the full 42.2-kilometre marathon distance.
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160 school students from 40 countries took part in the 19th International Olympiad in Geosciences (IESO), held on August 20-27, 2026 in Turin. As a result of the competition, our guys won 9 awards: 1 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals.
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August 2026 marks the 99th birth anniversary of my grandfather, Shakhmardan Yessenov. His contribution to the development of science and industry in Kazakhstan remains an important part of our country's history.
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The 7th educational intensive Yessenov Data Lab (YDL), aimed at training new generation data analysts, has ended in Almaty. The project was implemented by AlmaU in cooperation with the scientific and educational foundation Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation. The 20 best candidates selected from 159 applications from all over Kazakhstan became participants. The program lasted four weeks and was completely free for participants.
As part of the training, participants mastered modern tools and technologies, including GPT, Claude, Jupyter Notebook and Codex. Special emphasis was placed on practical work: students analyzed real data, developed their own AI agents, and studied cutting edge areas ranging from large language models to machine learning, NLP, and approaches like vibe coding.
The Yessenov Foundation fully funded the students' participation, including tuition, accommodation and meals. In addition, a team building was organized for the participants in the mountains of Almaty. According to Program Manager Gregory Lee, AlmaU's contribution has become a key factor in the implementation of the project.
"We are pleased with the results. Every YDL graduate of the past years has already proved that they are able to think more broadly and work more efficiently. Current graduates are not lagging behind, they will become not those who are looking for a job, but those who will be looking for the job itself. This is a step forward for our foundation, for them, and for the country." – Galimzhan Yessenov
As a result of the program, the YDL community was replenished with 19 new specialists, and the total number of graduates exceeded 130 people. Among them are representatives of the country's leading universities, including AlmaU and Nazarbayev University.
Yessenov Data Lab, which has been running since 2018, continues to strengthen its status as one of Kazakhstan's key educational platforms in the field of Data Science and artificial intelligence, forming a new generation of specialists in demand both on the local and international markets.
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20 finalists were selected from 159 participants from all over Kazakhstan, who will begin training in the field of DataScience and AI on June 15.
I congratulate and wish everyone to successfully complete this path, gain valuable knowledge and realize their potential.
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- Almaty Half Marathon 2026: Record-breaking geography and new standards for urban Sports
- The Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation is the general sponsor of Kazakhstan’s team at the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO)
- The running season has officially started in Almaty: The Winter Run brought together 2 500 athletes from all over the world
- Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation introduces 2026 internship winners