Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, May 16, 2021: Four new members were inducted into the Athletes’ Commission of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan at an online meeting held in the capital Nur-Sultan last week.
Olympic gold medallist swimmer Dmitriy Balandin, Olympic silver medallist judoka Yeldos Smetov, Olympic freestyle skier Zhanbota Aldabergenova and water polo star Azhar Alibeyeva were on the list of new members of the Athletes’ Commission of the Kazakhstan NOC.
The online meeting, which was chaired by Olympic boxer Serik Sapiyev, winner of a gold medal in the light welterweight division at London 2012, discussed preparations for the Tokyo Olympics including stringent COVID-19 protocols put in place by Games organisers.
“Everyone understands that the upcoming Olympics will be different from previous ones. As former athletes, we understand what it is like for a team to look forward to the Olympic year, without competition, without qualifying rounds, and in the uncertainty,” Sapiyev said.
“But now, less than two months before the Olympics, the safety of the athletes is becoming increasingly important. Explanatory work will be carried out among athletes on vaccination, new rules of the Olympic playbook, as well as precautions in the Olympic Village,” he added.
The Athletes’ Commission was informed that the updated versions of the playbooks of the Tokyo Olympics have been sent to all national federations, heads of Olympic sports teams, and posted on the website of the NOC www.olympic.kz in a special section on the Tokyo Olympics.
Andrey Kryukov, Secretary General of the Kazakhstan NOC, welcomed the new members of the Athletes’ Commission: “Within a year of the pandemic, the team and the overall work is more important than ever, and we are pleased that more and more active athletes are ready to develop the sport with us. I fully support the initiatives of the athletes.”
