ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) will cooperate in promoting sport and physical education in the country, said National Olympic Committee Secretary General Saken Mussaibekov and UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office Head for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan Krista Pikkat at a recent meeting in Almaty’s National Olympic Committee Branch Office, reports Olympic.kz.
L-R: Saken Mussaibekov and Krista Pikkat. Photo credit: olympic.kz.
“For UNESCO, sport is not merely a competitive culture of physical activity. Sport is a key tool for forming a tolerant, just and peaceful society – it unites people, no matter their gender, race and values,” said Pikkat at the ceremony.
The National Olympic Committee and UNESCO will focus on advancing inclusive and equal access to sports, education, gender equality, anti-doping efforts and the Olympic Movement in Kazakhstan.
The signed memorandum between the organisations is the first such memorandum in Central Asia. National Olympic Committee and UNESCO have cooperated on projects, including the Dec. 13-14 programme Women Athletes’ Career Transition in which the career opportunities, communication skills and financial literacy of female athletes beyond sport was discussed.
“National Olympic Committee President Timur Kulibayev tasked us with strengthening relations with international organisations,” said Mussaibekov. “The International Olympic Committee and UNESCO have put forth a solid foundation for cooperation in areas of mutual interest and support. We are ready to develop our partnership and remain active in the specified areas.”
The Olympic movement aims to educate youth through sport practised in accordance with Olympism and its values. Global anti-doping efforts are a priority for the movement and draw on the International Olympic Charter Against Doping in Sport, the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Convention Against Doping in Sport.
Kazakhstan ratified the latter convention in 2010, committing to facilitating doping controls, supporting national testing programmes, encouraging the establishment of codes of conduct for sport and anti-doping professions and best practices in product labelling, marketing and distribution, withholding financial support from those who engage in or support doping and funding education and research on drugs in sport.
