Kazakhstan Winter Olympics athletes: “My dream has come true, I’m going to Beijing!”

As soon as the details of the Kazakhstan delegation’s participation in the Beijing Winter Olympics were exposed, Jiang Wei, the Chinese Consul General in Almaty, posted a post on her Facebook page, “The Kazakhstan delegation will compete on 1 Fly to China on March 27th. Good luck!”

The blessings sent by the Consul General contained enthusiasm and goodwill, which particularly touched the Kazakh athletes. China is the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics and has welcomed the first batch of guests from all over the world. Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao talked about this at an online briefing held in September last year and expressed the hope that the friendship between Kazakhstan and China would be further enhanced by hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Since the launch of the short video collection activity "I Send Blessings for the Winter Olympics", the Chinese Consulate General in Almaty has successively received carefully crafted blessing videos from people from all walks of life in the consular district.

The slogan of the Beijing Winter Olympics is "Together towards the future". Against the background of the tragic events in Kazakhstan caused by social injustice and internal conflicts in early January, many people in Kazakhstan generally believe that holding the Winter Olympics in Beijing every four years as scheduled symbolizes the world's renewed vitality and reflects the In line with the Olympic spirit of peace and friendship, all people are equal regardless of race, religion, or political views.

From February 4th to 20th, the 24th Winter Olympics will be held in Beijing. Beijing became the first city in history to host the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. It is reported that this Winter Olympics has a total of 109 gold medals.

Tokayev: Defending national honor at the Olympics is a great responsibility

According to the Kazakhstan Presidential Press Service, Kazakhstan President Tokayev shortly before sending athletes to Beijing, Met with members of Kazakhstan’s national Olympic and Paralympic teams. The president noted that "the best athletes will represent our country, and defending the honor of our country in these competitions is a difficult task and a great responsibility. Kazakh athletes have been on the Olympic podium many times. Thank you, let the flag Flying proudly, the national anthem is played. There is no doubt that at this moment, the hearts of every Kazakhstani are filled with pride for their country. I hope you can prove that the trust placed in you is justified. ”

He also recalled the recent tragic events in Kazakhstan, which "overshadowed the last days of pre-competition training of our athletes, but above all, thanks to unity, our people were able to resolutely resist the aggression against the country Terrorism of integrity. I know we will show national unity during the game and we will be cheering for our players across the country," the president said.

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Culture and Sports: Looking forward to the gold medal, any result is worthy of joy

Upon request, the Press Office of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan announced the completion of all qualifying and classification competitions, as well as participation in the Beijing Olympics issuance of certificates. Kazakhstani athletes received 87 qualifications for the 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing in eight sports.

Regarding departure details, the National Olympic Committee reported that the Kazakhstan Olympic team will fly from Nur-Sultan to China tomorrow (January 27) on an Air Astana charter flight. Stop in Almaty. Shortly before being dispatched to the Winter Olympics, the main goals of the Kazakh delegation were clearly defined. This was discussed in particular at a meeting dedicated to the results of the preparations for the XXIV Winter Olympic Games.

What exactly are these goals? In response to this question raised by the "Silk Road Today" newspaper, Culture and Sports Minister Dawuran Abayev specifically pointed out: "Our task is to enable our athletes to perform well in the upcoming Winter Olympics - There is no doping, no scandal. Of course, every athlete will work hard to win the gold medal, and we will be happy for any success of the Olympians."

The organizers of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics have adopted unprecedented strictness. hygiene and epidemic control measures to ensure the health and safety of Olympic participants and guests. Kazakh athletes traveling to China are also strictly subject to epidemic prevention requirements.

"The main priority today remains the safety and health of athletes and coaches," said National Olympic Committee Secretary-General Andrei Kryukov. According to him, there is a rule among athletes: Anyone who has recently completed the training or competitive part will be quarantined under continuous medical supervision before flying to Beijing.

"The athletes are entering the most critical period, and we believe that all Kazakhstanis will support our team." said the Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan.

At the same time, the uniforms of the Kazakhstan team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics also attracted special attention. For the first time in the history of modern Kazakhstan, the name of the country on the team jersey will be presented in the Kazakh language "QAZAQSTAN". "Our Olympic equipment is specially designed for athletes. It is important to us that athletes feel comfortable, warm and stylish at the Olympics." Andrei Kryukov commented.

Athletes from Kazakhstan: “My dream comes true, I’m going to Beijing!”

On the eve of their departure, the athletes couldn’t help but share their excitement. With the help of Olympic.kz, we've compiled some of the pre-match status of some members of Kazakhstan's Olympic team.

Yana Khan: My dream has come true

Yana Khan (short track mixed relay) admits she still finds it hard to believe in her dream of representing her country at this Winter Olympics Already implemented.

"I still can't believe I'm one of those guys who made the roster for the Winter Olympics. I didn't know until recently that we were going to make the Winter Olympics in the mixed relay. This is my first time Qualifying. It's very exciting. And now I probably haven't fully accepted the fact that I'm going to go to the Olympics. It's a dream come true." /p>

Yelena (head coach of the freestyle ski team): We will do our best, believe us!

Yelena, head coach of Kazakhstan’s freestyle skiing team, believes that not everything went as planned in the process of qualifying. However, despite the difficulties, the players showed fighting spirit. And showed the world that Kazakhstan is a qualified participant in the Olympic Games. “Our country will be represented by Yulia Galysheva, Ayaulym Amrenova, Olesya Graur, Anastasia Gorodok, Dmitry Reicherd and Pavel Kolmakov. I congratulate all the athletes, it was a difficult choice but we passed. We will do everything we can to represent the country. "Yelena said.

Abuzar Azhgaliev and Ekaterina Aidova: We are the flag bearers, this is a great honor

Short track speed skating Team leaders, World Cup stage champion Azhgaliev and Ekaterina Aidova, who has participated in four Winter Olympics, are particularly excited these days. Because, according to the decision of the National Olympic Committee, they were appointed as the flag bearers of the Kazakhstan Olympic team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Edova made her Olympic debut at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, followed by the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The Beijing Olympics will be the fourth Winter Olympics in the 30-year-old Edova's career. Aydova is an experienced representative of the Kazakhstan speed skating team, having won a World Cup stage, a medalist at the 2017 Universiade and a 2021 Four Continents Championship champion.

“I am proud to be the first Kazakh woman to raise the country’s flag at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. For many, this Winter Olympics will be the highlight of their careers. For the first time, some people already have experience in major competitions and we will do everything we can to prove ourselves.

Azgaliev has a full set of short track skating World Cup stage medals and is a medalist at the 2017 Winter Universiade and 2011 Asian Games.

Azgaliev, a competitor at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics, was selected as the flag bearer for the second time, having already served as the flag bearer at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

"It is an honor to once again serve as the flag bearer of the Kazakhstan national team at the Winter Olympics. I thank all fans for their support and trust. On behalf of all Olympians, I can say that we are all looking forward to the opening of the Winter Olympics , we have been preparing for this for several years, and now we will do our best to represent the country in the Winter Olympics and win honors," Azgaliev said.

The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics will be held on February 4 at the Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest).

The mascots that are about to appear on the podium

Let’s review the mascots of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics, named Panda Bingdundun and Lantern Xuerong. melt. On New Year's Eve, my Chinese friend gave me this pair of cute mascots. They're really fun and cute, especially if you dig deeper into their symbolism. The panda's name is Bingdundun. In Chinese, "Bing" means ice, purity and strength, and "Dundun" means healthy, strong and cheerful. It symbolizes the strong body, perseverance and inspiring Olympic spirit of Winter Olympic athletes. Snow symbolizes whiteness and beauty, which is the characteristic of ice and snow sports; Rong means tolerance, tolerance, communication and mutual learning; Fusion means fusion, warmth, and knowing each other. Rongrong expresses the concept of exchanges, mutual learning and harmonious development of world civilizations, and embodies the beautiful vision of creating a more inclusive world through the Paralympic Movement and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

This article first appeared in the Russian version of the 152nd issue of Kazakhstan's "Silk Road Today" newspaper, written by Ma Shangluo and translated by Xiao Yi