Astana, Kazakhstan, January 22, 2025: OCA Director General and World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam visited the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Captain Husain held meetings on Monday, January 20 with NOC Secretary General Alimzhan Akayev and Dmitry Balandin, Vice President of the Kazakh Aquatics Federation, Olympic swimming champion and member of the NOC Athletes’ Commission.
He expressed full support for the NOC’s initiatives and commended Kazakhstan’s active role on the international stage through participation in and implementation of sports programmes. Mr. Al-Musallam also praised the NOC’s efforts to support athletes, their education and career development.
The OCA Director General highlighted the growing importance of esports and mind games within the Olympic Movement, calling it a priority area. He also announced that a seminar would soon outline plans for IOC and OCA programmes, inviting Kazakhstan’s NOC to participate.
A key moment of the visit was a meeting with the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Yerbol Myrzabossynov. Discussions focused on the development of aquatics in Kazakhstan and their inclusion in upcoming events such as the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Special attention was given to the upcoming OCA Athletes’ Forum, set to take place in September 2025 in Astana, following a Kazakhstan NOC initiative. The forum will bring together Athletes’ Commission representatives from 45 Asian NOCs, along with IOC and OCA leaders, building on the IOC Athletes’ Forum scheduled for June in Lausanne.
Concluding his visit, Mr. Al-Musallam wished Team Kazakhstan success at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin and emphasised their importance ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics. He extended an invitation to Sports Minister Myrzabossynov to attend the Games as an Honorary Guest.
Mr. Al-Musallam visited key sports facilities in Astana on Tuesday, January 21.