Junior World Championships 2015, Universiade 2017
and among the candidates for hosting the FIS Nordic
World Championships 2019. Almaty, with 1.5 million
inhabitants the largest city of Kazakhstan, is on
the best way to becoming a center for nordic winter
sports.
When it comes to wintersports, Almaty was so far
best know for the speed skating track of Medeo,
located about 16 km out of Almaty and 1700 m above
sea leavel.
With the construction of the new ski jumping facility,
Almaty is now one of the top organizers in nordic
sports and after three FIS Grand Prix events in
2011, 2012 and 2013 looking for new challenges.
"With the help of the mayer of the city of
Almaty, Akhmetzhan Yesimov, and the head of the
Olympic training center, General Pavel Novikov,
it was possible to build a ski jumping facility,
that is now among the top venues in the world. With
hosting international competitions it is now tried
to gain the necessary know-how, organisationally
and logistically, in order to manage the upcoming
tasks as well as to be included in the regular World
Cup calendar relatively soon", FIS race director
Walter Hofer explains the high pace of the Kazakhs.