Almaty Delegation Confident Headed Into Kuala Lumpur

(ATR) Almaty 2022 continues to affirm that it is a true winter sports city with a responsible, convenient and sustainable concept as its delegation readies to depart for Kuala Lumpur.

Bid vice chairman Andrey Kryukov tells Around the Rings that a team of more than 100 representatives will be traveling to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the 128th IOC session and 2022 host city election.

"The mood in general is very good, the team is ready and just yesterday we finished governmental meetings for the last leg of decisions," Kryukov said during a phone interview from Almaty on Wednesday.

Kryukov advised that the main delegation will arrive on July 28th, however the logistics team is already in place and a second group is traveling to the Malaysian capital tomorrow (June 23).

In accordance with IOC rules, Kryukov noted that of the 100-plus member delegation, nearly 25% will be directly involved in the final presentation to the IOC.

Kryukov dismissed the notion that Almaty’s lone opponent Beijing is the favorite.

"This is a personal perception of the people," Kryukov said. "We didn’t make any presentation of Almaty to the IOC before Lausanne," he said referring to the candidate cities presentations on June 9-10.

"It was a perception from the documents and definitely Lausanne gave us this chance to show everything," he said. "We are very good. We are real."

Almaty’s concept is one of the most compact in over 30 years as all venues are situated within a 30-kilometer radius of the Olympic village. Seventy-percent of the venues already exist and are being utilized for winter sports.

"Our model proposed is very efficient and absolutely compliant with Agenda 2020 ideas," Kryukov said. "This is why we believe it’s a good opportunity for the IOC to have us on-board."

Convenience For Skiers in Almaty

Kryukov suggested that visitors to the Games could ski at two or three resorts which will not be hosting competitions, and then easily attend events later that same day.

"In one day, you can spend the morning skiing and then in the second part watching competitions in the city," Kryukov said.

"The Winter Games are special – it must be fun," he added. "There must be a spirit and atmosphere among winter sports people and skiers in an alpine town."

Kryukov noted that as the delegation departs to Malaysia for the hot mid-summer climate, snow is still visible on Almaty’s rugged mountain peaks.

"Our mountains are over 4,000 meters, and on the top right now, there is definitely still snow," he said.

Kryukov expressed confidence as the delegation leaves for what could be a historic week for the central Asian nation. The nearly two-year bidding race culminates as the IOC elects the host city for the XXIV Winter Olympics on July 31.

"Our guarantees and strong track record of delivering major events is further proof that Almaty is ready to host the 2022 Winter Olympics," the bid vice chairman said.

"It also proves that our vision for a sensible, affordable and sustainable Winter Games is real.

"This is just another example of what we mean by ‘Keeping It Real,’ and we are excited to share this vision with the Olympic Movement and the world."

Almaty Bid Addresses Accommodations Concern

One of the IOC’s concerns regarding the Almaty bid, as conveyed in the evaluation commission report, has been a potential shortage of rooms to meet the required Games-time standard of 40,000.

Kryukov advised that Almaty has secured legally binding guarantees from hotel owners, real estate developers and city authorities for over 31,000 rooms.

"We signed all necessary papers with owners of the hotels and with the developers who are involved and we’ve delivered this to the IOC," Kryukov said.

With more than six years to go, it appears that the 40,000 total is now well within Almaty’s reach. According to Almaty 2022, the development is consistent with the city’s rapid rise in tourism and annual growth rate of nearly 11% in hotel rooms.

Almaty’s current accommodations plan involves 10,580 rooms in dedicated villages for the Olympic family, 15,475 rooms in newly built apartments including IF and NOC serviced apartments and 5,175 rooms in existing hotels and wellness resorts in various categories, including 1,000 rooms in IOC hotels.

"Almaty’s guarantees exceed all IOC requirements," said Almaty Mayor Akhmetzhan Yessimov. "All client groups will find comfortable accommodation in our city across all categories – from 5-star hotels to university residences for low-budget visitors.

"All rooms are either already built, under construction, planned or guaranteed by individual contracts."

The mayor underlined why he believes that Almaty is the right choice to host the 2022 Winter Games, emphasizing the region’s stunning natural beauty.

"Almaty will also offer all visitors a unique Winter Games experience with its stunning nature, perfect winter conditions, hospitable people and a multi-cultural lifestyle," Yessimov said.

"All guests will rest easy knowing that our compact Games Plan allows for quick and easy travel to all sporting events and will awaken to invigorating views of Almaty’s stunning backdrops and snow-capped mountains right from their rooms."

Written by Brian Pinelli

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