(ATR) After a long silence, the president of Kazakhstan pledged his support to Almaty 2022.
As part of the Almaty Spring Festival, Nursultan Nazarbayev visited the 2022 bid city this week and spoke to an audience of 20,000 at the Central Stadium,
"If we win the bid, then we will host the Winter Olympic Games in 2022, if we are lucky," Nazarbayev told the crowds.
"We are trying to make Almaty a center of tourism," he added, citing the city’s climate, living conditions, healthcare, education, and sport as attractions.
Central Stadium is the planned venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Games.
"There is no such city located at the foot of high mountains with snow-capped peaks and cool fresh air."
In the early days of the bid, government support for Almaty 2022 was tepid at best. Concerns culminated at the IOC Evaluation Commission in February, when neither the country’s president nor prime minister made an appearance.
The IOC will decide upon a host for the Winter 2022 Olympic Games on July 31 at the session in Kuala Lumpur.
Written by Andrew Murrell.
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