Articles by Yuri Lifintsev

Almaty Needs to Tackle Environmental Issues if It Is to Host Olympic Games

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Almaty and the ecology of the candidate city were on the agenda of a recent press conference held at the Almaty City Akimat’s (Mayor’s) Office. Almaty has not been named the site of the 2022 Winter Olympics, but in six months, a host city will be selected. At a meeting…

Almaty Marathon Reaches International Standards, Attracts 7,000 Racers

ALMATY – The recent third international Almaty Marathon drew about 7,000 runners from 25 countries. Over the last year, the Almaty Marathon has been brought up to international standards, including an exact distance of 42 kilometres and 195 metres, and is now seen as on par with major runs in Paris, New York, Boston and…

Kazakhstan’s Olympians Receive National Athletic Wear

ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s Sochi Winter Olympics athletes were given their first look at the team’s Olympic gear on New Year’s Eve, when performance athletic wear sets were presented to the public at Almaty’s Baluan Sholak Sports Palace. Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Sports and Physical Education Ilsiyar Kanagatov and Director of the KazSPO-N company,…

Olympic Medalist Gives Ski Class for Kids

ALMATY – Kazakh silver medalist in the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Yelena Khrustalyova, held a masters’ class with students from a specialised boarding school for athletically gifted children at Almaty’s Sunkar International Ski Jump Complex on Nov. 13. While answering questions from young athletes who are making their first steps into professional sports, Khrustalyova said that…

Third Eurasian Games Held in Almaty

Male and female athletes from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan converged on Almaty on Sept. 15-20 recently to compete in the five-day Eurasian Games. At the start of the event, Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Sports and Physical Education of Kazakhstan Ilsiyar Kanagatov said he hoped the Kazakhstan national team would win more…

A Living Memory of a Great Coach

ALMATY – Kazakhstan’s largest city hosted the Tenth Youth Volleyball Tournament dedicated to Zangar Dzharkeshev in early June. Telling the story of this Honored Coach of the USSR and the Kazakh SSR and the professor of pedagogy, may take more than just one page. He was the one who coached “Burevestnik” in 1969 when this…

MFC Kairat Claims UEFA Championship Title

ALMATY – The athletes and management of Kairat mini-football club (MFC) were warmly welcomed at Almaty airport after their triumph in Tbilisi at the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup. The rapturous welcome was comparable only to that organised in honour of the heroes of the Summer Olympics of 2012. Children with posters of…

Motorcycling Ambassador Spreads EXPO 2017 Message in America

ASTANA – Kazakhstan biker and president of the International Children’s Geographic Society Dmitry Petrukhin is publicising EXPO 2017 in the United States. And he has already spread its message from Arizona to Washington, DC From the Caribbean, he has set off to the American continent on his motorbike with the flag of Kazakhstan. Petrukhin’s latest…

Kazakhstan Equestrians Prepare for 2014 World Championships

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s equestrian team is hard at work preparing for the prestigious World Equestrian Games to be held in France in 2014. “It’s like the World Football Championship or the Olympics, for which people wait four years. It is extremely difficult to get into the World Equestrian Games for the participants and spectators as…

Ski Champion Vladimir Smironov Gives Nod to Successor

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s best skier Alexey Poltoranin is having a remarkable season with victories in the World Cup, International Ski Federation (FIS) competitions, and winning two bronze medals at the World Championships in Italy. In an online interview, Vladimir Smirnov, Kazakhstan’s 1994 Olympic champion in the 50 km ski race, paid tribute to the achievements…

Zarina Tukhtieva Shines as Ice Hockey Star

ALMATY – Women’s ice hockey star Zarina Tukhtieva has just struck gold at Kazakhstan’s Third Winter Games tournament leading Almaty’s Aisulu team to the national championship. The 25-year-old Tukhtieva is a forward for Aisulu and a standout on the national team. Tukhtieva talked with The Astana Times after Aisulu won a 7–2 victory over their…

National Wrestling Team Trains in U.S., Achieves First Peaks

Kazakhstan’s athletes are preparing for a major international tournament to be held in memory of the famous American wrestler, Olympic and world champion Dave Schultz. The event is so significant that several teams, including four groups in Colorado Springs, have begun preparation well ahead of the competition. The joint training, led by the Kazakh team’s…

New Ski Facilities Open on Shymbulak Resort Near Almaty

ALMATY, December 28 – A new ropeway opened at the Shymbulak Ski Resort near Almaty city in December. The new aerial ropeway is just one kilometer long, but it was a significant event in developing the infrastructure of this resort. The slopes of the Left Talgar Mountains are being developed in the Shymbulak Resort area.…