Almaty 2022 Chief Denies Human Rights Issues Problematic - On the Scene

(ATR) Andrey Kryukov insists that Kazakhstan’s human rights issues will not damage the country’s Winter Olympic bid campaign.

On the eve of the IOC Evaluation Commission visit to Almaty, Human Rights Watch urged the IOC to "take into account Kazakhstan’s problematic human rights record". The pressure group pointed to Agenda 2020 reforms that have changed the Host City Contract to include an explicit anti-discrimination clause and protections for human rights and labor.

"It is in the spirit of [IOC president] Bach’s reforms, and Almaty’s promises, that the IOC Evaluation Commission should look at the very real restrictions on media, assembly, and association freedoms in Kazakhstan, as well as discrimination concerns," said Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Asked by Around the Rings how the Almaty bid team was addressing human rights issues in discussions with IOC inspectors, Kryukov appeared to dismiss the widely-expressed concerns of human rights activists.

"As you know, the IOC very seriously pays attention to those matters. That’s why of course we have such questions and discussions," he said.

"But I can say only what we are talking about," he added, claiming the country’s human rights problems, said by HRW to include crackdowns on freedom of speech and restrictions on religious freedoms, had not been discussed so far with the IOC delegation.

Pressed as to what Almaty’s message would be to the IOC, he said: "We don’t have any special law that discriminates against any group or citizen.

"The only thing we can say is we support human rights."

After the press conference Sunday, Kryukov told ATR that the Almaty bid would answer any concerns the IOC had about human rights issues if they were raised in the next three days of briefings.

Impact of Doping Cheat?

Almaty 2022’s bid officials faced other tough questions at the media briefing that followed day two of the IOC’s visit. The bid leader was forced to downplay the impact controversial cyclist Alexander Vinokourov might have on Almaty’s campaign after his doping past was raised.

The Kazakhstan rider, banned for two years after failing a doping test at the 2007 Tour de France, came out of retirement to win gold in the road race at the London Olympics. He is listed as the Almaty Olympic bid’s top ambassador on its website.

Five Team Astana riders failed drug tests in 2014; Vinokourov is the team’s general manager.

When quizzed about the role he expected the former cyclist to play in promoting the bid and whether the presence of a doping cheat negatively affected Almaty's Olympic quest, Kryukov insisted Vinokourov "doesn’t haveany relations to any doping scandal at the moment. That’s why we don’t see any serious issue".

"His title is Olympic champion of London. I don’t see any influence of doping cases," said Kryukov, who is a WADA Foundation Board member.

"He has no connection to any doping scandals at this time. How can you claim he is involved? Therefore we don’t see any impact of that alleged involvement in this bid [campaign]."

A reporter from China Central Television bluntly asked Kryukov who he thought was favorite in the 2022 bid race – Almaty or Beijing.

IOC rules stipulate that bids should not criticize their rivals in an Olympic bidding contest.

Kryukov refrained from doing so, offering a diplomatic response: "Each city has its own advantages. I can’t comment on the disadvantages of the Beijing bid. It’s not our business to evaluate.

"We respect our counterparts and have good relations with the Olympic committee of China and consider ourselves close friends," he added.

In briefings with the IOC team of inspectors on Sunday, Almaty officials covered off the themes of accommodation, transport and sports and venues. A venue tour in the afternoon included stop-offs at the under-construction 12,000-seat Ice Palace that is set to host ice hockey at the 2017 Winter Universiade, main stadium for the ceremonies, the medals plaza and Sunkar Jumping Hills and skiing centre.

Also appearing at the press conference were Ilsiyar Kanagatov, chairman of the sports committee of the ministry of culture and sport, sports director Askar Valiyev and transport adviser Yelena Yerzakovich.

Kryukov said he was "encouraged by feedback so far and impressed by the constructive and supportive style of how the IOC carry out this visit".

He said the IOC delegation led by Russian Alexander Zhukov was being "amazed every day", highlighting the "absolutely excellent venues" in the bid plan. These include the world’s only ski jumping facility with five hills. The state-of-the-art Sunkar Jumping Hills was built in 2010 to host the 2011 Asian Winter Games.

With more than 60 percent of competition venues already existing, Kryukov was asked by ATR if he thought, or the IOC had told him, that Almaty was further ahead than previous Winter Games bidders.

"We cannot say we are ahead or not. We are as we are. Our slogan is ‘Keeping it real’. We are keeping it real. Accept us as it is," he said.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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