Kazakhstan celebrates Olympic Day
Kazakhstan joined global Olympic Family for its 31st time to celebrate annual Olympic Day by organizing various events that highlights the core values of the Olympic Movement.
Within the “Sports Is for All” concept NOC events began with its traditional “Olympian is Born” campaign by welcoming all new-borns over the country, who it is believed, are future champions. Gifts were sent in advance to 240 maternity hospitals across all 17 regions in Kazakhstan, including Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent. NOC and Kazakhstani well known Olympians personally congratulated all babies born on 23June.
“NOC Kazakhstan warmly upholds this tradition. We emphasize that every child is a champion, whether they pursue sports or not. We hope their dreams come true, just like our athletes have shown that ambitious dreams can become reality,” highlighted NOC Kazakhstan.
Last year, approximately 2,000 babies were born on Olympic Day. The number of newborns in 2024 will be announced tomorrow. The “Olympian is Born” campaign was launched and patented by NOC Kazakhstan in 2020 with the support of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Next cultivated young champions at the age of 6-9 and 11-13 participated in a various sports activity across Kazakhstan. On 20 June, the “Barys Arena” hosted a youth water polo tournament with 15 teams. The event concluded with Astana’s team winning, Kokshetau securing silver, and the West Kazakhstan region taking third place. Olympic swimming champion Dmitriy Balandin honoured the young athletes.
On 22 June, interactive hockey competitions featured teams from Astana, with “Nomad” team clinching first place. The tournament included both virtual hockey and ice hockey, encouraging inclusive participation. Thus, NOC Kazakhstan promotes also the cybersports in its agenda.
On 23 June, 200 young athletes (7-16 years old) participated in the iSwim swimming competitions at an open-air pool in Central Park.
The grand urban celebration at Triathlon Park featured different sports tournaments with several hundred participants. Urban festive began with a performance by the Kazakhstan national breaking team and continued with demonstrations by athletes from specialized youth Olympic reserve schools. All participants received an Olympic Day certificate signed by IOC President Dr. Thomas Bach and NOC President Mr. Gennadiy Golovkin, along with commemorative prizes and gifts.
The main festive program took place in Astana. For several days, residents and guests of the capital could take part in various sporting events, becoming part of the global celebration of Olympic Day. In total, more than 1,000 people took part in these events.
Within the framework of celebration, the ceremonial handover of the official uniforms of Kazakhstan National Team at Tokyo 2020 Olympics to the National Museum Fund. Kazakhstani delegation included Olympic medallist Kamshybek Kunkabayev and Olympic champion Olga Rypakova, who are also active members of the NOC Athletes Commission.
