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Denis Ten says Kazakhstan banks on Olympics to develop

Xinhua, July 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

A successful bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games will help develop Kazakhstan, said Denis Ten, ambassador of the Olympic Bidding Committee "Almaty 2022", here on Wednesday.

"The Olympic Games has a global mission. It is one of the greatest inventions of the people. As our country is still very young, still very progressive, I think the Olympic Games is the key for our future development," Ten said.

Ten, the 2014 Olympic bronze medalist and Kazakhstan's first Olympic medalist in figure skating, emphasized that winter sports is important to Kazakhstan.

Ten recalled the day when he started figure skating, saying, "17 years ago, I took my first step on the ice, and I didn't have opportunities to practice professionally."

"Today, figure skating in Kazakhstan is so big. We have people doing sports in their spare time. We have lots of ice facilities. We have professional buildings built for sports and they are convenient," added Ten.

"Almaty 2022" vice-chairman Andrey Kryukov explained that Almaty's concept is one of the most compact in over 30 years with all venues located within a 30km radius of the Olympic Village.

"As an athlete, I can tell you that the close proximity of all venues to the village is an amazing benefit for the Olympians. The short travel time makes life easier for the athletes and allow them to better prepare for the biggest competitions of their lives," Ten added.

Almaty is competing against Beijing in the bidding race. The International Olympic Committee will vote to decide the winner on July 31. Endi