Almaty Delegates Arrive In KL For Second Bid On 2022 Winter Games

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- The official delegation of the Almaty Winter Olympic Games 2022 bid committee arrived here Tuesday for the 128th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre this weekend. The delegation was led by Republic of Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Massimov, who is also the chairman of the committee. Also in the delegation are Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerlan Idrissov, presidents of its National Olympic and Paralympic Committees Temirkhan Dosmukhambetov and Kairat Boranbayev respectively and Minister of Culture and Sport, Arystanbek Mukhamediuly. The delegation also comprises several Kazakhstan premier athletes and Almaty 2022 bid representatives including the committee's Vice-Chairman Andrey Kryukov, Sochi 2014 Olympic medallist Denis Ten, Innsbruck 2012 Youth Olympian and Kazakhstan National Team Ice Dancer Karina Uzurova and IOC Athletes Entourage Committee Member and Chairman of the Olympic COuncil of Asia's Women and Sports Commission, Natalya Sipovich. Mukhamediuly in a statement on Tuesday said that the Winter Games are a perfect fit with Almaty and Kazakhstan's long-term strategy called the 'Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy'. He said the country was ready to work with the Olympic Movement to help their young nation take the next step onto the world stage. "This is our second bid for the Winter Games and we are excited to showcase the amazing progress our country has achieved to the world," he said. Meanwhile, Mayor of the city of Almaty, Akhmetzhan Yessimov noted that all venues would be within a 30-km radius of the athlete's village and 70 percent of the venues already existed. Kryukov noted that Almaty has been preparing for the event for 15 years and was ready to be host. "Almaty is a real winter sports town with a passion for winter sports that spans many decades. We are encouraged by all of the positive feedback we received since our presentation in Lausanne, and now we hope to show the IOC members that Almaty is the best option for the 2022 Winter Games," he added. The 128th session of the IOC will be held from July 31 to Aug 3. The host city for the 24th Winter Olympic Games in 2022 will be unveiled on the first day. During the final presentation, the delegation will show the IOC how their unique Games Concept based on real winter weather, real winter sports venues and real winter ambience aligns perfectly with the new Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms. --BERNAMA