Mayor of Almaty: City’s bid for 2022 Olympic Winter Games is a great promotion for Almaty and Kazakhstan

Kuala Lumpur, 30 July 2015 – The Mayor of the city of Almaty Mr Akhmetzhan Yessimov pledged full government support for Almaty’s bid for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games today at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The announcement comes with just 24-hours until the IOC’s final vote to elect the Host City for the 2022 Winter Games.

President of the National Paralympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr Kairat Boranbayev and Almaty 2022 bid Vice Chairman Mr Andrey Kryukov joined Mayor Yessimov at the conference to discuss the various levels of government support that Almaty 2022 has secured ahead of tomorrow’s vote.

The speakers also highlighted how recent developments, including the approval of Kazakhstan’s membership to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and extension of its visa-free program, would help to promote the country’s international brand and make it more attractive to investors and tourists.

The new visa policy permits unsupervised travel for 15 days for Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, along with Malaysia, Singapore, and United Arab Emirates. The new policy will help boost tourism, stabilize markets and cross-border trade, and solidify relations. It will also brand Kazakhstan as a cosmopolitan, Western-friendly, emerging economic partner for the West and Asia.

Mayor of the city of Almaty Mr Akhmetzhan Yessimov: «Almaty’s bid is a key element of our city and region’s long-term goals. That is why it has the full backing of our Government, who has guaranteed that any shortfall in the cost will be met. This includes the use of Kazakhstan’s $75 billion sovereign wealth fund if required. Kazakhstan has the financial strength to deliver a great Winter Games without spending tens of billions of dollars. Almaty 2022 will serve as a model for future Host Cities and prove that similar developing nations can host the Games affordably and sustainably».

With the finish line in sight, Almaty 2022 expressed its optimism heading into the final vote and continued to reiterate the benefits of its unique vision for the Winter Games.

Almaty 2022 bid Vice Chairman Mr Andrey Kryukov: «Almaty 2022 is fully backed by our country’s government and we have secured all necessary guarantees. Our team worked extremely hard to make it to this point and we are confident that our vision for a sensible, sustainable and affordable Games is perfectly aligned with the IOC’s Agenda 2020 goals. Tomorrow, we look forward to showing the IOC and the world how ‘Keeping it Real’ it real in Almaty means Keeping Agenda 2020 real».

For detailed information, please contact to:

Ms Zhuldyz Baimagambet

Almaty 2022 Candidate city
Media Relations
@: [email protected]
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