From April 21-27, a major international powerlifting tournament, the Open Asian Powerlifting Championship, will be held for the first time in Almaty. Athletes from more than 10 countries have already confirmed their participation in the event.
Men and women of all ages, from juniors to veterans over 70 years of age, will take part in the championship. During the first four days, April 21-24, the strongest athletes will compete in three disciplines: weightlifting (triathlon), bench press and deadlift without special equipment.
On April 27, the international tournament will finish with a sports show, the Asian Mega Cup, which will take place on the stage of the MEGA Alma-Ata Mall. That day, the strongest athletes in bodybuilding and powerlifting will come together on one stage.
The 15 strongest triathletes who qualified in the first days of the tournament will be divided into three weight groups and the panel of judges will determine the strongest in each weight category and overall.
The bodybuilder show will include compulsory pose and arbitrary programmes of the most powerful and harmoniously developed athletes.
Winners in all nominations will receive cash awards and other prizes, which will be provided by the main sponsor of the Asian Mega Cup, a group of companies called the Astana Group, as well as other sponsors and organisers of the tournament. Throughout the day, a brightly coloured show of pop stars and talented young performers will take place in parallel with the sports programme on the MEGA Mall stage.
Over the past few years, powerlifting has grown significantly in Kazakhstan. At the 2013 World Championship in Prague, Kazakhstan’s team, which consisted of 15 people, won third place among more than 40 participating countries for the first time. Powerlifting is becoming one of the most popular sports in the country and can be found in virtually every gym in all localities of the country.
