Astana, 9 November. By a decree of 9 November President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev awarded state honours to 19 athletes who took part in the 20th Summer Asian Games and the 5th Asian Para Games, and presented some of the awards in person, Akorda said.
The Games took place in the Japanese cities of Aichi and Nagoya from 19 September to 4 October. Kazakhstan finished with 84 medals (12 gold, 24 silver and 48 bronze) and eighth place overall, the National Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Tourism and Sport reported. At the Para Games the team won 50 medals (12 gold, 16 silver and 22 bronze) and took ninth place, as we reported.
Under the decree, karate fighter Sofya Berultseva, a gold medallist at the Games, receives the Order of Parasat. Five people receive the Order of Kurmet. Cyclist Alexey Lutsenko won two golds in the individual and team road races, fencers Kirill Prokhodov and Yerlik Sertai took gold in the team event, and rowers Ivan Chernukhin and Vladislav Yakovlev won gold in the double sculls. The medal "For Distinguished Labour" goes to 13 athletes, among them taekwondo fighter Tamirlan Tileules, fencer Vadim Sharlaimov, karate fighter Zholaman Bigabyl and mixed martial artists Yerkingali Burkutalin and Kadyrbek Shynbayev. The rest competed at the Para Games: para judo athletes Beksultan Kulmyrza, Ibragim Nurmakhanuly and Aktolkyn Seilbekova, para cyclists Nail Yermukhanbet and Anastasia Kalaus, cyclist Rinata Sultanova and para swimmer Dias Kenzhebek. The list also includes Yasmina Toksanbayeva: the decree names her as a participant in the marathon, without mentioning a medal.
At the ceremony Tokayev called Alexey Lutsenko the first six-time Asian Games champion in Kazakhstan's history, and Tamirlan Tileules the winner of the country's first Asian Games gold in taekwondo. The President also named boxers Torekhan Sabyrkhan and Aibek Oralbay as champions of the Games, noted Aisulu Suleimenova's Asian record in the 100 metres at the Para Games, and mentioned two-time Para Games champion David Degtyarev. Sabyrkhan, Oralbay, Suleimenova and Degtyarev are not on the decree's list; Akorda gives no reason.
The President devoted most of his speech to the "People's Construction" (Narodnaya Stroyka) programme, the task he set in his recent Address. According to him, nationwide construction will begin next year: schools, hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centres for children with special needs, centres of culture and the arts, and sports centres. Under the programme, Tokayev said, new sports facilities and inclusive centres will be built, because "every child in Kazakhstan should have the opportunity to play sport". He called the slogan "Build, and build again!" the country's national answer to an approaching era of hardship and uncertainty. Over the past five years, he reminded the audience, more than 616 billion tenge has been spent on developing sport, an average of about 123 billion tenge a year.
The President listed the coming sporting calendar separately. In 2027 Kazakhstan will host world championships in boxing, judo, taekwondo, table tennis and esports, as well as the world junior short-track championships. In spring, Astana will host the 51st Congress of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). This year, he said, the capital will also host the Congress of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). He named the Los Angeles Olympics the main event of the four-year cycle: the Ministry of Tourism and Sport and the federations, he said, must join the preparation.
During the speech Tokayev referred to the International Monetary Fund: according to the fund's forecast, Kazakhstan's GDP will approach 398 billion dollars by the end of the year, the highest figure in the region. The fund's own figures are not given in Akorda's report.
What it means: The awards ceremony became an occasion to link sport with next year's main construction drive: the President promised sports facilities and inclusive centres under the "People's Construction" programme and named the events Kazakhstan will host in 2027. The test will be deadlines and money: the speech gives neither the number of new facilities nor their cost, and the 616 billion tenge he cited is the spending of the past five years.
Who benefits: Athletes and coaches: 19 people received awards, and the ministry and federations are promised attention for preparation for the Los Angeles Games. Children in the regions, for whom, according to the President, sports facilities and inclusive centres are to appear. Which projects and which regions will join the "People's Construction" is not specified in the speech.
Background: The Asian Games are held every four years by the Olympic Council of Asia; the twentieth took place in Japan. The Para Games, competitions for athletes with disabilities, are held separately.
We have also reported on Kazakhstan finishing the Asian Para Games with 50 medals and on 262 projects of the "People's Construction" being approved.
