WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2017
NATION&CAPITAL
SPORTS
B7
Photo by Ilyas Omar
ov
Deaflympics encourages
Almaty to apply to host
2019 Winter games
By Meruyert Abugaliyeva
ASTANA – The Head of Inter-
national Committee of Sports for
the Deaf Valery Rukhledev recent-
ly visited Almaty and encouraged
Kazakhstan to submit an applica-
tion for Almaty to host the 2019
Winter Deaflympics.
“Almaty has not submitted its
application to host Winter Deaf-
lympics, but we would like to
consider it as a candidate. We ob-
served the sports infrastructure and
were impressed by the architecture
of the buildings, state-of-the-art
equipment and especially by the
active sports life in those facilities.
In addition, we witnessed national
competitions in curling and skiing,
children’s training of figure skat-
ers and hockey players, as well
as mass skating and skiing. All
of this, as well as the 28th World
Winter Universiade held in Feb-
ruary 2017, prove that Almaty is
deservedly one of the world winter
sports capitals,” said Rukhledev.
Almaty is home to 44,100 peo-
ple with disabilities, including
5,000 with hearing impairment.
Rukhledev noted that the Winter
Deaflympics have not been held on
the Asian continent. He also men-
tioned potential benefits of hosting
the Games, including developing
urban areas and improving ur-
ban environments for people with
physical challenges, including
the installation of elevators, side-
walks, traffic lights, special mark-
ing and visual pointers. He also
said such events generate interest
in sports among people with disa-
bilities, which helps them integrate
into social life.
The Deaflympics are an interna-
tional sports competetion for ath-
letes with hearing impairment sanc-
tioned by the International Olympic
Committee. The Games were first
held in 1924 in Paris. They were
the first international sports event
for people with disabilities and the
second international sports com-
petition after the Olympics. Ever
since 1924 the Games for the deaf
are held every four years with the
exception of 1943 and 1947 due
to the World War II and the Winter
Games were introduced in 1949.
Although there were only 9 coun-
tries participating in the Games in
1924, the Deaflympics now unite
athletes from 113 nations.
Kazakh short track racer to carry flag
during 2018 Winter Olympic opening
By Frol Leandoer
ASTANA – Kazakhstan short-
track player Abzal Azhgaliyev has
been named flag bearer and cap-
tain of the Kazakh team for the
Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang,
the National Olympic Committee
of Kazakhstan press service re-
ported Jan. 9.
“Only today I learned that I was
chosen as the standard-bearer of
the Kazakhstan national team at
the Olympic Games. To say that
I was surprised is to say nothing.
This is a great honour for every
athlete, and I am very glad and
proud that I was the one who was
trusted to carry the flag. I thank the
National Olympic Committee of
the country for the trust, I will try
to justify the hopes placed on me,”
said Azhgaliyev, who is training in
Holland.
Azhgaliyev was born Jun. 30,
1992 in Uralsk. He took the fifth
place in the team relay race at
the Olympic Games in 2014. He
is also the first in the history of
Kazakhstan World Cup winner
(Salt Lake City 2016-2017), a
two-time silver medallist of the
World Cup 2016-2017, two-time
bronze medallist of the World
Cup 2016-2017 (as part of the
team relay race), silver medal-
list of the World Winter Univer-
siade 2017 and bronze medal-
list in the team relay race of the
Asian Winter Games in Sapporo
in 2017.
A special flag bearer’s costume
is being designed for the athlete.
Team Astana completes Peruvian stages of Dakar Rally
Staff Report
ASTANA – The final stage of
the Dakar 2018 rally on the sandy
paths of Peru ended Jan. 10. The
route of the fifth stage of the mara-
thon brought racers to the city of
Arequipa. For the next stage, the
caravan of Dakar racers will travel
to Bolivia for routes over 3,000
meters high.
According to the press service of
the Astana Presidential Club, for
the cargo crews, the total length
of the route was 934 kilometres
and the special stage lasted 268
kilometres. Astana’s team never
stopped at the final stage of the
Peruvian sands – the athletes spent
16 hours in the truck.
Artur Ardavichus and his team
managed to rise to ninth place in
the standings by the end of the
stage and improve their position
to eighth place in the general clas-
sification.
“In total, I covered more than
900 kilometres today. We left the
bivouac at six in the morning and
arrived at the next bivouac at 10
in the evening. Today was a good
day. Navigation was carried out
without mistakes. We finished the
stage without a single blot. Of
course, we are really tired; the day
was tough and fruitful,” comment-
ed Ardavichus.
Both quad riders of Astana also
reached the finish line of the final
stage in Peru.
In the previous stage, Maxim
Antimirov injured his right leg,
which put his further participa-
tion in doubt. However, despite the
injury, the athlete started the fifth
stage of the marathon and passed it
at a stable pace. Antimirov arrived
at the finish in the city of Arequipa
15th, having risen in the general
classification to 27th place. He
was on painkillers during the fifth
stage of the Dakar. Now he is suf-
fering and facing difficulties in
moving independently. Consider-
ing that with each stage it will be
more difficult to finish while suf-
fering pain and general physical
weakness, the current condition of
the athlete puts his further partici-
pation in Dakar in doubt.
Last year’s ATV champion of
Dakar, Russian racer Sergey Kar-
yakin, left the race due to a fall in
the special stage of the fifth stage.
The pilot was airlifted to a hospi-
tal, where he was successfully op-
erated on.
“We don’t spot a hole like that
on the track once – and a blow-
out. We caught such holes while
driving the car. Nothing good, but
for a four-wheel motorcycle rider
it is, of course, a great injury. It’s
good that he’s alive! Sergey was
supposed to be the winner, and
our guys had to finish. Now there
are only guys who must finish,”
the Astana captain commented on
Karyakin’s disaster.
Another Astana ATV rider,
Dmitry Shilov, was 14th in the
fifth stage. The athlete holds the
same position in the general classi-
fication. He noted that the situation
with Karyakin made him resist the
urge to drive too fast.
“It was a difficult day, first I de-
cided to slow down the pace my-
self, but then I saw the helicopter
and Sergey being evacuated and
decided to drop the tempo. Later
there was a mistake, I had to go
back to seven kilometres and take
a position again. One of the rivals
asked for a spare but I refused him,
because I still had 120 kilometres
to finish. Tomorrow we leave, and
we’ll see what will happen at high
altitude. Tomorrow we leave Peru
and start to go up to Bolivia,” he
said.
Skier Dmitry
Reiherd wins silver
at World Cup
Staff Report
Kazakh freestyle skier Dmitry
Reiherd took the silver in moguls
at the World Cup stage in Deer Val-
ley, Utah (USA). He scored 83.66
points, second only to Canadian
Mikael Kingsbury (88.80), whose
victory was his 13th in a row at
the World Cup stages. Australian
Matt Graham (82.37) closed the
top three.
The showing is Reiherd’s fourth
silver medal in the current season.
He previously placed second at the
World Cups in Finland, China and
Canada.
Reiherd won the World Cup
stage in Lake Placid, New York
(USA) in 2017, one of several
prizes he captured last year. He
also won individual and parallel
moguls at the Universiade in Ka-
zakhstan and took fifth place in the
last World Championship in Sochi
(Russia).He is ranked fifth in the
overall standings.
Reiherd is one of the top possi-
bilities for a medal in next month’s
Olympics, the fourth of his career.
“Kazakhstan’s freestyle at the
Olympics in PyeongChang will
be represented in two disciplines,
moguls and acrobatics. So far, four
athletes, including Yulia Galyshe-
va, Ayaulym Amrenova, Dmitry
Reiherd and Pavel Kolmakov,
have qualified for the Olympics in
moguls. In acrobatics, we will have
five athletes, but the final line-up
for the Olympic Games will be
known on Jan. 21. Our leading ath-
letes in both moguls and acrobat-
ics will compete for the medals of
the Olympics. I don’t want to think
ahead; time will show, but I think
we should believe in our athletes,”
said Kazakh Freestyle Federation
Vice President and national team
coach Elena Kruglykhina.
Athletes in moguls will start
competing at the Olympics earlier
than representatives of other free-
style disciplines. The first qualifi-
cation will take place Feb. 9, the
Games’ opening day. The women’s
final race will be held Feb. 11, fol-
lowed by the men’s event the next
day.
Playing chess results in better brain function
By Dana Omirgazy
ASTANA – Chess is the best
sport to exercise the most complex
and important organ in the body
– the brain. In Kazakhstan, it be-
came the beloved intellectual game
among children and adolescents.
In an exclusive interview with The
Astana Times, Kazakhstan Chess
Federation (KCF) Executive Direc-
tor Irina Grishchenko talked about
2017’s key activities, ongoing pro-
jects and recent chess victories.
“This was a very interesting
year. We fulfilled all our plans.
The federation organised and car-
ried out 22 national tournaments.
We held children’s cups and adult
chess cups among men and wom-
en and invited grandmasters from
several countries. This means
that people were able to fulfil the
standards of FIDE (Fédération In-
ternationale des Échecs or World
Chess Federation) Master, Inter-
national Master and Grandmas-
ter norms without going abroad.
Previously, according to FIDE
rules, it was necessary to play
only abroad in order to get these
norms,” she said.
Kazakhstan hosted four interna-
tional tournaments, including the
Astana Open International Chess
Festival during EXPO 2017.
“It was a major event of the past
year. We managed to attract ap-
proximately 600 people in differ-
ent age categories and levels to this
tournament. We were glad to wel-
come participants from 18 coun-
tries,” she said.
The national chess team partici-
pated last year in all official FIDE
tournaments, with more than 3,500
players involved in national and
international competitions. Kazakh
players earned nine gold, four silver
and seven bronze medals.
In the past few years, the federa-
tion has been witnessing an increase
in the number of both children and
adults playing chess. Compared to
2015, the figure has increased by
two and a half times. According to
Grishchenko, this year the federa-
tion intends to increase the number
of tournaments.
“We plan to hold 24 tournaments.
For the first time, we will assist in
organising chess tournaments among
people with limited abilities. We will
start cooperation this year,” she noted.
Beginning in September, the
Chess in School pilot project was
introduced in 19 schools in Almaty,
Kyzylorda, Pavlodar and Pavlodar
region involving approximately
1,500 students. The KCF and
Shakhmardan Yessenov Scientific
and Educational Foundation initi-
ated the project and provided all the
necessary equipment.
“We provided schools with meth-
odological guidebooks, textbooks
and workbooks. In the summer, we
trained teachers and psychologists
under the project. Psychologists
conduct research and draw con-
clusions about the effects of chess
training. They observe improve-
ments in students’ logical and stra-
tegic thinking, memory and con-
centration,” she said.
The East Kazakhstan region is
expected to join the pilot project
next year by introducing chess les-
sons in the school curriculum.
“We want all Kazakh people to
play chess. Chess improves cogni-
tive abilities and problem-solving
capacity. It has a positive effect on
the development of intellectual po-
tential. This is a good opportunity
for children to learn how to think
multi-channel. I am sure that chess
is the only way to teach children to
be adapted in our world. Our Presi-
dent was right when he once said
that every leader should know how
to play chess,” she said.
Kazakh chess champions Di-
nara Saduakassova and Zhansaya
Abdumalik are well-known for
their victories. Based on their lat-
est achievements, Grishchenko
also named Kazybek Nogirbek,
Ansat Aldiyar, as well as Meruert
Kamalidenova and Assel Serikbai,
who became Asian champions in
their age categories.
“I have an optimistic view of Ka-
zakhstan’s chess development. I am
sure that chess lessons will be intro-
duced in all schools of the country.
Our children and young people will
become more concentrated, more
competitive and intellectually de-
veloped,” she noted.
Olympian Alzhan Zharmukhamedov
attends ‘Going Vertical’ premiere in Astana
By Ilyas Omarov
ASTANA – The Olympic cham-
pion of 1972 in basketball in Mu-
nich Alzhan Zharmukhamedov
recently visited Astana. In the
Kazakh capital, he took part in
the premiere of the Russian film
“Going Vertical,” which tells of
the historic victory of the USSR
basketball team over the U.S.
team in the 1972 Olympic finals.
Zharmukhamedov is the hero of
the film – the athlete played in the
Soviet national team at this leg-
endary game in Munich.
The famous basketball player
said that during the historic Olym-
pic finals in Munich he was on the
court almost the entire game: “I
had to play the most of the players.
I played 36 minutes out of 40. I
rested only two minutes in the first
half and in the second half. Eve-
rything was this way – not to let
the other team score, and to help
my team. I was wrapped up in the
game,” he recalled.
“After the premiere of the ‘Going
Vertical’ on Dec. 21, I received many
invitations. I was also invited to
Astana. Of course, it’s very pleasant
that in Kazakhstan there is such in-
terest in the film and my person. The
whole huge hall walked by me shak-
ing hands and taking pictures. I was
even a little shocked by such great
interest,” said Zharmukhamedov.
“I always come to Kazakhstan
with pleasure. Still, this is the
motherland of my ancestors. Eve-
ry year I come to my small moth-
erland in the South Kazakhstan
region. My first desire to move
to Kazakhstan occurred in 1967,
when I was invited to Almaty.
There was a team called Lokomo-
tiv. I came and lived in the hotel
for about six months. They tried to
obtain the permission of the USSR
Basketball Federation but they did
not achieve it because Uzbekistan
fought for me at the highest level.
After that, it turned out that I went
to Moscow to CSKA,” he said.
In Astana, Zharmukhamedov
held a meeting at the Youth Basket-
ball Academy, where he conducted
a training session and shared some
secrets of his mastery.
“Basketball in Astana is develop-
ing, and it is noteworthy that a spe-
cialist from Serbia Dejan Parizha-
nin works in the Youth Academy
because Serbia is famous all over
the world for its school of basket-
ball,” he noted.
Zharmukhamedov is the cham-
pion of the 1972 Olympic Games,
the bronze medalist of the 1976
Olympics and the first Kazakh
who received the title of Olym-
pic champion. Currently he lives
in Moscow and continues his ac-
tive life in the sports community,
teaching children basketball.
Alzhan Zharmukhamedov (L) and PBC Astana General
manager Valery Tikhonenko (R).