Almaty, Kazakhstan: In energy-rich Kazakhstan starry-eyed excitement bumps up against cynical apprehension as residents of the bustling Central Asian hub Almaty prepare to find out on Friday whether their city can edge out Beijing to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Kazakhstan’s capital before glitzy Astana took over its mantle in 1997, Almaty is the less-fancied competitor in a two-horse race which will be voted on by 90+ International Olympic Committee (IOC) members on July 31.
“Beijing is still the favourite but it is getting closer to call as the announcement nears,” Christoph Becker, a sports editor for Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, said.
Last month both candidate cities presented their concepts to the IOC in Lausanne, with the Kazakhs, who have limited experience hosting international sport events, presenting their bid as “keeping it real” with an abundance of natural snow in winter and magnificent snow-capped Tien Shan mountains surrounding Almaty.
That was widely seen as a sideways dig at Beijing – where officials admit they would have to resort to artificial snow for many events – as well as a nod towards the sustainability focus the IOC itself has emphasised during the bidding process.
“Almaty is the city with the hardware for a winter Olympics,” said Becker.
“It actually has proper mountains.”
By contrast, China, the second largest economy in the world, has vast reserves of cash to spend on the event and the memorable Olympic Games it held in the summer of 2008 in its favour.
The ex-Soviet state, which is also busy planning the sustainable energy-themed EXPO-2017 in Astana, places an increasing amount of importance on showcasing an economically growing nation of 17 million.
For many citizens the event represents another opportunity to shed the “Borat” tag popularised by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s 2006 hit mockumentary.
“I hope Almaty wins. The Olympics will improve the international image of our country,” said Eldana Bukumbayeva, a 24-year-old intern at an international financial company. AFP
