ASTANA – Kazakh athletes departed for the 2024 Paris Games on July 17.
Photo credit: Alexander Pavsky/Kazinform
Kazakh Minister of Tourism and Sports Yermek Marzhikpayev, famous boxing champion Yermakhan Ibraimov, the 2000 Sydney Olympics wrestling silver medalist Islam Bayramukov, the 2000 Sydney Olympic champion in the 100-meter hurdles Olga Shishigina, Olympic swimming champion Dmitry Balandin, silver medalist in judo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Askhat Zhitkeyev and media representatives came to the Olympic Training Center in Almaty to wish good luck to the athletes, reported Kazinform.
According to Marzhikpayev, over the years of independence, Kazakhstan has won 79 medals at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and trained 15 Olympic champions.
“You have an important and very responsible task – to adequately represent our country at the Olympics. I believe that we will achieve great results thanks to your champion character, perseverance, will to win, accumulated experience, hard work of coaches, doctors, massage therapists and others,” said Marzhikpayev.
Eighty athletes will compete at the Summer Olympics, which will be held from July 26 to Aug. 11.
The Paris Games will welcome 10,500 competitors from 205 nations, who will compete for 329 sets of awards in 32 sports.
For the first time, five Kazakhstan’s TV channels will broadcast the Olympic Games. Kazakh citizens will be able to watch the Paris Olympics on the Qazaqstan, Qazsport, Jibek Joly, Khabar and El Arna TV channels.
